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.r* 










Lucky Penny of 
Thistle Troop 

A Girl Scout Story 

By 

AMY E^^^LANCHARD 
1* 

ILLUSrR^rED BY 

FRANK T. MERRILL 



W. A. WILDE COMPANY 


BOSTON 


CHICAGO 




Copyrighted, ig20. 

By W. a. Wilde Company 

All rights reserved 
Lucky Penny of Thistle Troop 


MAR 21 1921 


0)CI,A611257 


Foreword 


HE Girl Scouts are too well known to make nec- 



A essary an introduction to their organization, but 
because of their rapidly increasing numbers, the ex- 
pansion of their activities, the importance of the part 
they play in civic movements, it may not come amiss 
to draw attention to the individual development which 
exerts so strong an influence upon the home, and upon 
their immediate companions. As each petal of a 
flower adds to its beauty and completeness so may each 
member of a troop do her part in unifying and beauti- 
fying the body of Girl Scouts so that future genera- 
tions will “ rise up and call her blessed.'^ 


A. E. B. 


5 



Contents 


I. 

Lucky Penny Starts Out 




II 

II. 

Cleaning Up the Town 




26 

III. 

Tommy Thistle 




42 

IV. 

Penny Makes a Sacrifice 




58 

V. 

Antiques of Several Kinds 




74 

VI. 

Dots and Dashes . 




90 

VII. 

Louise and the Queen . 




107 

VIII. 

The Hand-Bag 




123 

IX. 

Mr. Smith and Peter . 




139 

X. 

Christmas Fun and Feasts 




153 

XL 

Blow, Bugle, Blow ” . 




169 

XII. 

The Skating Carnival . 




184 

XIII. 

The Prizes 




199 

XIV. 

Penny is Cross 




214 

XV. 

“ If You Love Me” 




228 

XVI. 

Nicknames 




242 

XVII. 

A Long Hike 




256 

XVIII. 

Lucky Penny is Unlucky 




269 

XIX. 

Friends Again 




284 

XX. 

Lucky Penny Comes Back 




300 


7 



Lucky Penny of Thistle Troop 


CHAPTER I 


LUCKY PENNY STARTS OUT 

LMOST everyone thought her name was Penel- 



-Zjk ope, but it wasn’t; it was Penrose, S. Penrose 
Atwood. Penny kept the S a deep dark secret, hoping 
that eventually it would be consigned to oblivion and 
that no one would ever see the family Bible in which 
was written Samantha Penrose Atwood, born August 
15, 1906. From the first she ignored her grand- 
mother’s old-fashioned name and as soon as she could 
write signed herself. Penny Atwood. Lucky Penny 
the girls called her because of her faculty of getting 
out of scrapes, and, nine times out of ten, of getting 
what she wanted. 

You have only to wish for a thing and it comes,” 
pouted her friend. Brownie Burton. “ I never saw 
anything like it; somebody or something must wish 
things on you. Now you tell me that you have had a 
thistle pin sent to you, and you know we have both 
looked all over town for one.” 

Oh now. Brownie, I don’t always get what I 


12 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


want,” declared Penny. ‘‘ I am wild for a new set of 
furs and I don't see the slightest prospect of getting 
any.” 

‘‘They'll come, see if they don't; a fox will come 
along and drop his skin at your front door, likely as 
not.” 

“ Maybe it will be a monkey,” returned Penny 
laughing. “ Wouldn't that be queer? Monkey fur is 
fashionable, however. Poor little monkeys, I feel sorry 
for them when they have to go around with organ 
grinders; they look as if they realized how ridiculous 
they look dressed up in that silly way; they aren't 
pretty at the best.” 

“ That's just like you,” responded Brownie. “ I 
believe you would be sorry for a rat or a mosquito.” 

“ I am, sort of sorry, only I can't say that I love 
them. It must be dreadful to be the kind of creature 
they are, despised by everybody.” 

“I don't imagine they realize that they are despised,” 
responded Brownie practically. “ They are out for 
food; I suppose that is about all there is to it. That 
reminds me. Penny, are we supposed to furnish any- 
thing for the returning heroes ? ” 

“We shall furnish them with an example of how 
well we can march in a parade.” 

“ Oh, pooh ! You know what I mean. What those 
boys don’t know about marching isn't in the vocabu- 
lary.” 

“ Miss Varney didn’t say we were to furnish any- 


LUCKY PENNY STAETS OUT 


13 


thing to eat. I suppose our mothers will attend to that 
while we do the ornamental.” 

Brownie giggled, as was her frequent habit. She 
had no vanity, for she well knew that she was no 
beauty, and to consider herself an ornament tickled 
her fancy. “ Speak for yourself, John,” she said. 

“ Oh, I didn’t mean that I, personally, would be or- 
namental, but that the Girl Scouts as a body show up 
pretty well.” 

“ Your apology is accepted, mademoiselle. Look 
here. Penny, what badges are you going to try for this 
winter? ” 

Don’t quite know ; bugling for one thing, I think. 
Just now clothes appear to be the subject upon which 
Mother and I are setting our minds. Oh, Brownie, I 
do want a set of new furs tremendously ; my old ones 
are beginning to look like a singed cat ; I don’t see how 
they can last the winter out.” 

“ Maybe you’ll get them for Christmas.” 

“ Don’t want to wait; want them now. I am just 
turning over in my mind the best argument to present 
to Dad so he will tell me I can get them right away.” 

“ Maybe you’ll get them at Christmas, as I said be- 
fore. Your father wouldn’t listen to you on a warm 
day like this.” 

“ Of course I shall choose a cold day, the first real 
cold one when I can come in shivering. Then, I sup- 
pose all Father will want to know is why I wear such 
thin clothes.” 


14 LUCKY PEKKY OF THISTLE TROOP 


“ But you don’t wear thin clothes as a rule, not the 
diaphanous kind that some girls do.” 

“ I’ll have to that day.” 

‘‘ It won’t work,” declared Brownie, shaking her 
head. “ He will only be disgusted and tell you to go 
and put on a sweater and warmer underwear. I know 
these fathers.” 

Penny laughed. ** Reckon you’re right. I’ll have 
to contrive some other way. I shouldn’t want to be 
hypocritical anyway. Where’s the Manual? We 
may as well be looking up merit badges and things.” 

Brownie brought the book over to where Penny was 
swinging in the hammock. The two sat down with 
heads together and turned over the pages of their 
handbook. They were quite unlike in looks. Penny 
was rather tall for her age, and, without being a 
beauty, had a bright, attractive face, honest gray eyes 
which looked at you frankly, a sweet red-lipped, well- 
shaped mouth, her best feature, a nose whose nonde- 
script character she secretly deplored, brown hair; 
“ plain brown,” she described it, only I’m glad it 
isn’t the lanky kind, even if it isn’t curly.” 

Brownie quite answered to what her name sug- 
gested, for she looked like a Brownie: round promi- 
nent eyes, a wide mouth, a snip of a nose, thin arms 
and legs, lank mouse-colored hair. But she was the 
best-natured thing you ever saw and was clever beyond 
any of her school friends. Whatever she attempted 
she carried through and was really a great stimulus to 


LUCKY PENNY STAETS OUT 


15 


her sworn friend, Penny Atwood. Penny, while not 
so clever, was lucky. If she fell into a scrape she al- 
ways managed to fall out of it by reason of her own 
wits or of Brownie’s cleverer ones. If there happened 
to be an extra hard lesson, it was sure to happen that 
the easy questions were given to Penny. If she 
wanted anything very much somehow it came her way. 
It certainly was true that the Fates were kind to her, 
probably because she was always so appreciative of the 
good gifts they chose to bestow. 

The two girls were on the side porch of the At- 
woods’ house. They were fond of this tree-embow- 
ered, vine-enclosed retreat, especially on warm days. 
Davy, Penny’s little brother, was stretched out at full 
length on the grass within easy hearing distance of any 
exciting talk. Sometimes their voices were lowered to 
a whisper, but, Davy argued, when they were excited 
they raised their voices. He was not old enough to 
become a Boy Scout, consequently his interest was 
very keen in the doings of the Thistle Troop of Girl 
Scouts to which his sister and Brownie Burton be- 
longed. Davy not only looked with great respect upon 
all the activities in which his sister was concerned, but 
he turned to her for moral support, and brought her all 
his difficulties, being sure that she would never break a 
promise, and if she said a thing was so that it was un- 
failingly true. 

^‘Do Girl Scouts always speak the truth?” Davy 
once asked his sister. 


16 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


They should,” she answered, “ for the very first 
law is the one that says a girl's honor should be 
trusted.” 

“ It must be awful hard,” Davy had said thought- 
fully. ‘‘ Will I have to do that when I am a Boy 
Scout ? ” 

‘‘You sho' will,” his sister had told him. In con- 
sequence Davy, from being given to the practice of 
telling wildly imaginative tales, pruned them down by 
degrees, so that now when he said he had seen Jimmy 
Burns catch a fish eighteen inches long you could be- 
lieve that it measured as much as sixteen, maybe. At 
all events, Davy was trying not to invent marvellous 
yarns, and that is saying something. 

He lay there on the grass staring up at the sky until 
certain odors from the kitchen attracted his attention, 
then he sat up and sniffed the air. “ Gingerbread ! ” 
he exclaimed, then, turning a couple of preliminary 
handsprings, he took his way to the kitchen. 

“ That little wretch of a Davy has been lying there 
listening to every word we have said,” remarked Penny. 

“ Well, he didn't hear much,” returned Brownie. 
“ There were no secrets this time.” 

“ No, but there might have been. He certainly is a 
child of investigating mind. Talk about curiosity ! he 
has more than the whole Thistle Troop put together. 
I'm glad we chose the thistle, aren't you? No one can 
fool with us without getting stung.” 

“ But that's not the only reason we chose the 


LUCKY PENNY STAETS OUT 


17 


thistle,” returned her friend. “ It is very beautiful in 
form and color; it has a sweet odor and has certain 
uses.” 

Oh, of course, and it lends itself to decoration most 
charmingly. Don’t let me forget to show you my 
thistle pin. It is a perfect darling. Wasn’t it nice of 
Aunt Agnes to send it to me ? She bought it in Scot- 
land years ago, and when Mother wrote to her of our 
Thistle Troop she sent it to me.” 

I am crazy to see it.” 

“ Come on, then.” 

Tossing her books and work into the hammock 
Penny led the way to her room through a hallway 
redolent with the odor of freshly baked gingerbread. 
At the head of the stairs she softly opened a door al- 
ready on a crack. “ Listen to Davy and Rilly scrap- 
ping,” she whispered. 

From below came the sound of voices raised in dis- 
cussion. You cl’ar out,” cried Rilly. ’Tain’t no 
use w’arin’ out yo’ voice astin’ me fo’ gingerbraid 
outen the oven fo’ hit’s done.” 

But, Rilly, it must be done. I saw it and it was 
real brown,” protested Davy. 

‘‘ Yuh let me ketch you op’nin’ dat oven do’. 
Screepin’ and scropin’ up behin’ mah back. Ef dat 
gingerbraid ain’t all drap flat an’ be all soggy an’ 
heavy ’tain’t mah fault, hit yo’n. Cornin’ hyar an’ 
worritin’ me dis a way. I soon have one o’ dese yer 
worritin’ puppies un’er foot. You cl’ar out.” 


18 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


But, Rilly, you will give me a piece as soon as it is 
done, won’t you ? ” Davy spoke wheedlingly. 

'‘Ain’t gwine cut no fraich gingerbraid fo’ no- 
buddy.” 

“ Just a little piece? I say, Rilly, make me a little 
one, just a teeny little one.” 

“ Big ner little, no suh. Cl’ar out. You wuss’n a 
mosquito.” 

There was the sound of Davy’s slowly retreating 
steps. Penny closed the door and the two girls went 
on. 

“ That sort of thing goes on regularly,” Penny re- 
marked. “ Davy may have gone but he’ll be back in a 
minute.” 

“ And then what? ” 

“ The same thing over, but in the end there will be 
a small cake baked especially for him, from the 
‘ scrapin’s ’ Rilly will tell him, at the same time being 
sure to insist that the next time she will scrape the 
bowl so clean there will be none left for a little cake, 
and she ‘ reckons he needn’t count on any more ; this 
is the very last.’ She adores Davy, for you know 
Rilly has been with us ten years.” 

“ Fortunate for you.” 

“ Yes, isn’t it? She wouldn’t stay only she is ‘ sot 
in her ways.’ She is the real old-fashioned kind, you 
see, dislikes change, calls us her ‘ fambly,’ and has been 
devoted to Davy ever since he was born.” 

“ And you?” 


LUCKY PENNY STAETS OUT 


19 


Oh, Pm only second best. Here is the pin. Isn’t 
it a dear ? ” 

“ Perfectly lovely,” declared Brownie, taking the 
pin to examine. I love the silver leaves and the pur- 
ple stone in the middle. I should think you would 
wear it all the time.” 

‘‘ It came only yesterday, but I mean to wear it very 
often. Here comes Davy and I’ll venture to say he is 
eating gingerbread.” 

To be sure when Davy appeared at the door he tri- 
umphantly held up a cake from which he had taken a 
huge bite. Look ! ” he cried, I’ve got some and 
you’ve got none.” 

Piggy, piggy, honk, honk, honk,” Penny slowly 
grunted. 

“ Ah-h, you’re only mad because you haven’t any,” 
Davy declared. 

“If you were a perfect gentleman you’d offer us 
yours,” remarked his sister. 

“ But I’ve bitten into it,” was the reply. 

“ You could break off the bitten part and give us 
the rest.” 

Davy looked wistfully at his gingerbread, then lin- 
geringly began to detach a piece from one side, coming 
slowly forward as he held out the lalrger part to his 
sister. 

She caught him to her and gave him a hug. “ I 
wouldn’t take it for the world, honey-bug,” she said. 
“ I was just trying your mettle.” 


20 


LUCKY PEKKY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


But I do want you to have it/’ insisted Davy with 
a sudden access of generosity. 

'' Offer it to Brownie first/’ 

‘‘ Won’t you have some? ” Davy offered his cake 
with an expression which said: I’d rather you 
wouldn’t.” 

Brownie laughed. “ I’m not famished, and I would 
rather not spoil my dinner by eating so near the time 
for it. Thank you very much for your hospitality.” 

Davy escaped noisily before any more demands 
could be made upon him, and retired to a secluded 
corner where he could finish his gingerbread in peace. 

The sound of his clattering footsteps had scarcely 
died away when from the garden some one coo-eed. 
‘‘ That’s Beck, I’ll be bound ; she said she would hunt 
me up this morning,” said Penny, going to the window 
to call down: “That you. Beck? Come right up.” 
And in another minute Rebecca Cole appeared. 

“ What do you think, girls ? ” she began excitedly 
without preliminary. “ We’re going to clean up the 
town and we’re going to adopt a Belgian; that is, 
maybe.” 

“ Which is the maybe, the cleaning up the town or 
the Belgian ? ” asked Brownie. 

“ The cleaning up the town is for sure, you can bank 
on that ; the Belgian depends.” 

“Who is to do the adopting? your parents?” in- 
quired Penny. 

“ Bless you, no ; the Thistle Troop of Girl Scouts is 


LUCKY PENNY STAETS OUT 


21 


to do it if it’s done, but all that can wait. I’m in a 
desperate hurry on account of this cleaning up proc- 
ess.” 

“ Just tell us this,” interrupted Brownie. “ Is this 
Belgian to whom you so mysteriously refer, is it a him 
or her, man, woman, or child? ” 

“ It’s a girl, twelve or thirteen, I believe. Don’t ask 
me any more, for I haven’t time to tell you. This 
other business comes first.” 

I thought the first matter of importance was to get 
ready to welcome the returned soldiers ? ” said 
Brownie. 

This cleaning up campaign is part of what we are 
to do. We intend to do the welcoming in a clean old 
town ; it’s part of the celebration.” 

“ But what are we expected to do ; go into the streets 
with brooms ? ” inquired Penny. 

Of course not. You will hear all about it this 
afternoon. There is to be a special meeting of the 
Thistles. Miss Varney asked me to see as many of the 
girls as I could, and she will call up the rest. She 
wants every member to be sure to be present.” 

“ What about the Belgian girl ? Is she here or do 
we have to take her on sight unseen? Who is going to 
look after her ? Where will she live ? ” 

Can’t tell you about it now, for I don’t know my- 
self,” answered Becky rising from her seat on the 
floor. She was a tall, long-legged, long-armed girl, 
always growing out of her clothes. She had short, 


22 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


dark curly hair, brown eyes, a humorous mouth, rather 
a large nose. “ Pve got to get on,’' she continued, 
'' agreeable as this present society may be. Pve got to 
scout it to most of the patrol, so it’s ‘ Off again, on 
again, gone again, Finnegan.’ Good-bye, girls. Four 
o’clock sharp, and don’t you dare not to come.” And 
off she went. 

“ Beck is a corker,” remarked Brownie. She’s the 
most enthusiastic one among us. I don’t wonder Miss 
Varney likes her to be Patrol leader. She takes any 
amount of trouble to make things go. This town will 
be clean if Rebecca Cole has anything to say about it. 
Well, Pen, I must be off, too. It’s most time for 
dinner.” 

“ Better stay and have some with us. There will be 
gingerbread with whipped cream for dessert.” 

“ Sounds mighty alluring, but I’d better go. Mother 
will need my help. Call for me, won’t you ? ” 

Penny promised and saw her friend to the door with 
a last word of : See you this afternoon.” 

Her mother came up the steps just as Brownie went 
out. What have you girls been doing all morning? ” 
she asked. 

“ Oh, Girl Scout things, principally,” Penny an- 
swered. Isn’t it exciting. Mother, that we are to 
help clean up the town? Have you heard about it? ” 

“ Yes, I have heard that it would be a part of the 
programme, although the committee upon which I am 
serving had to look out for another end.” 


LUCKY PENNY STAETS OUT 


23 


What end?” 

The food end. We want to give those boys a 
royal welcome.” 

“ What are you going to do in the way of food? ” 

“ We’re going to give them all the ice-cream and 
cake, all the sandwiches and coffee that they can stow 
away.” 

“ They’ll like that. You are on the reception com- 
mittee, too, aren’t you? I wish I were, but then we 
shall be part of the escort, and that counts for some- 
thing. We are to have a very important meeting this 
afternoon. Do you know anything about the Belgian 
girl. Mother ? ” 

“ What Belgian girl ? ” 

“ I don’t know what one. Becky Cole was here and 
told us there might be one for us to adopt.” 

‘‘ You don’t mean that we, as a family, are expected 
to do that? ” exclaimed Mrs. Atwood, sitting down in 
a porch chair and taking off her gloves. 

“ Oh, no, I don’t think so. It is all rather hazy as 
yet. We shall not find out at once, Becky said.” 

“Of course one wants to do everything within rea- 
son for those wonderful Belgians,” Mrs. Atwood went 
on, “ but ” 

“ You wouldn’t exactly like me to have a Belgian 
sister, would you?” said Penny, voicing her mother’s 
thought. 

“ I should have to think about it very carefully be- 
fore I decided,” said Mrs. Atwood, looking very seri- 


24 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 


oils. ‘‘If my little girl were among strangers and in 
need of a home I should hate to think that it would be 
denied her.” 

This made Penny look serious, too. It was a situa- 
tion she did not like to contemplate. “ Becky said 
something about the Thistle Troop adopting her,” she 
told her mother with an air of relief, “ so maybe we 
shall have only to take her on shares like they do 
farms.” 

Mrs. Atwood laughed. “ You speak as if she were 
a mowing machine or something of that kind. How 
should you like to be taken on shares? ” 

Penny considered this for a moment before she an- 
swered : “ I don’t believe I should like it at all. I 
might for a little while ; it would be like visiting, but to 
think that you had to keep on moving around forever 
and ever would be perfectly horrid.” 

“ Then let us hope that we can do better than that 
for the little girl from Belgium. I wonder where 
Davy is. It is time he was getting ready for dinner.” 

“ The last time I saw him he was eating ginger- 
bread. He and Rilly had their usual scrap over it, of 
course.” 

“ That is always part of the programme. I don’t 
believe Rilly would think she had done her duty if that 
were left out.” 

“ I suppose she thinks it has the same effect as the 
ginger.” 

“ I haven’t a doubt of it. Go and see if you can find 


LUCKY PENNY STAETS OUT 


26 


Davy, Penny dear. It is warm out here and I must go 
in. Your father will be coming in a minute.” 

Penny hunted around and finally came upon Davy 
playing with a team of dead mice which he had har- 
nessed to the half of a canteloupe rind. For pity’s 
sake, David Atwood, what in the world have you got 
there ? ” cried Penny. How can you play with those 
disgusting things ? ” 

‘‘ They’re not disgusting,” retorted Davy. “ They 
are quite fresh; they came out of the trap only this 
morning, and we had the canteloupe for breakfast. I 
am playing Cinderella, and I am sure that is a beautiful 
fairy tale ; you say so yourself.” 

“ But Cinderella’s mice were alive.” 

“If these were you’d be so scared you would squeal 
like a — like a crow.” 

“ Crows don’t squeal ; they caw.” 

“ Well, anyway. I’m sure a canteloupe is nicer than 
a pumpkin any day.” 

“ That may be, but you’d better come in and get 
ready for dinner. Wash all that awful stuff off your 
hands. Ugh ! it makes me shiver to think of it.” 

Davy gave an admiring glance at his team as he 
came away and then fell to examining his hands which 
to his mind bore no trace of any “ awful stuff,” but 
which he must wash, he realized, before he could come 
to the table. So he obediently followed his sister, 
wondering why girls were so fussy. 


CHAPTER II 


CLEANING UP THE TOWN 


HE girls were prompt that afternoon in meeting 



JL in the hall where their Captain, Miss Varney, 
was waiting for them. Curiosity was rife, for this 
special occasion was quite outside their usual gather- 
ings. Each girl wore her Girl Scout uniform and 
those who had badges displayed them. Miss Varney 
looked around at the eager faces and smiled. There 
was evidently no lack of interest this afternoon. 
“ Well, girls,” she said, after the usual preliminaries, 
the City Fathers have paid us the compliment of ask- 
ing our help in cleaning up the town. We not only 
want it spick and span for the boys’ home-coming but 
for our own good. It will be better if the girls were 
to hunt in couples. To every pair a certain district 
will be allotted. All the Girl Scouts in town are to 
help, the Boy Scouts, too. Each couple in our troop 
is to make a report to me at the end of each day. Any- 
thing which is beyond our jurisdiction or our powers 
to relieve will be looked after by the proper authorities 
to whom I report in my turn. Here are some printed 
slips — please give them out, Becky — which will tell 
you how to proceed.” 

There were many excited questions, much discus- 


CLEANING UP THE TOWN r 


27 


sion, but at last the girls all understood what they were 
expected to do, and the meeting broke up. 

“ It doesn’t look so awfully easy,” said Penny as she 
and Brownie started for home. 

“ Oh, we’ll soon get the hang of it,” returned 
Brownie cheerfully. Of course all we shall notice at 
first will be bits of paper flying about, then we’ll see 
something else, and so on. Miss Varney said we must 
use our judgment about entering the yards, especially 
those that look doubtful. It won’t need more than a 
peep in most cases.” 

“ Very likely you’re right,” agreed Penny, “ al- 
though I’d hate to have some virago throw scalding 
water on me, or even give me a tongue lashing.” 

“We may get the words but I doubt if we get the 
water,” declared Brownie, “ and we can get out if we 
see that coming. I shall not mind a storm of words, 
in fact it might be rather funny.” 

“ It will be exciting, to say the least,” replied Penny. 
“ Do you know I think it will be a good plan to begin 
right at our own homes. Can’t you fancy Rilly? 
She will give us a foretaste of what we may expect at 
times.” 

“Oh, Pen, what fun. Do get her going right 
away.” 

The girls giggled, and then with serious faces, which 
they had some difficulty in maintaining, they went 
around to the back of the Atwood house where they 
found Rilly crooning a camp-meeting hymn as she laid 


28 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 

out some dish towels on the grass. With an air of 
great dignity the two girls stalked past the old woman, 
and began peering around, investigating the corners of 
the yard. 

Rilly watched them for a few minutes, her arms 
akimbo. “ What yuh lookin’ f o’, chilluns ? ” she 
asked at last. “ Yuh alls done los’ sumpin? ” 

Penny, who had already flung Davy’s team of mice 
and the canteloupe rind into the garbage pail, was now 
unearthing a pair of old shoes and some soiled rags 
which she had discovered under a pile of leaves. She 
pointed tragically to these as she said: “ We’ve not lost 
anything, but we have found something, and to think 
it should be in our own back yard. Why did you hide 
them there, Rilly? ” 

‘‘ Law, child, dey isn’t hid; dey’s jes’ frowed away,” 
answered Rilly blandly. “ Goblage man won’t tek 
nothin’ like that, an’ what I gwine do with ’em when 
dey ain’t no furnace fire goin’ ? ” 

Penny looked rather nonplussed. Rilly generally 
did get the best of an argument, and her excuses were 
unassailable. ‘‘ I don’t know what to do about it,” 
said the girl turning to Brownie. ‘‘ The City Fathers 
say we’ve got to clean up the town and here I am facing 
the problem of our own back yard before we’ve fairly 
started on the job. Why couldn’t they go in with the 
ashes, Rilly? ” 

“ ’Tain’t no ashes dis time o’ year when we cooks 
on de gas stove.” 


CLEANING UP THE TOWN 


29 


Penny turned her attention to the pile of stuff she 
had unearthed. “All that junk, tomato cans and 
broken bottles under those leaves, who would have 
thought it? I don’t know what the City Fathers will 
do to us,” she went on, shaking her head at Rilly re- 
proachfully. 

“City Fathers! I say City Fathers!” ejaculated 
Rilly, wiping her hands on her apron. “ ’Tain’t no 
city fathers ner mothers either has any business in dis 
yer back yard ’cep’in’ dey name o’ Atwood, das what I 
says. City Fathers, humph ! ” She turned toward 
the house, indignation showing in the set of her shoul- 
ders and the toss of her head. 

The two girls stood watching her with mirthful eyes. 
“ Isn’t she great? ” said Brownie. “ I wish we might 
expect to get as much fun out of every one.” 

“ But after all,” said Penny, turning again to the 
heap of refuse, “ the question now before the American 
public is ; What is to be done with this stuff ? ” 

“ Suppose we bury it,” suggested Brownie. 

“ Fine scheme! ” agreed Penny. “ We might leave 
out the cans, for they aren’t really very bad, and we 
can bury them deep under the leaves, then when the 
ashes are collected again they can go in with them. It 
doesn’t seem quite nice to leave them, but I’m afraid 
we can’t dig a deep enough hole for everything.” 

“ We’ll do our best, but if we are to start in digging 
up everybody’s back yard we’ll have our hands more 
than full.” 


30 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“We aren’t responsible for any but our own, are 
we? ” 

“No, I suppose not, and we aren’t exactly respon- 
sible for them ; it’s up to our parents.” 

“ Then ” 

“ Oh, let’s have the fun of doing this one and if we 
find it’s too much for our feeble powers we can pass 
over the job to whomever it may concern.” 

“All right. I’ll go get something to dig with.” 

She ran off to a shed outside the kitchen door and 
presently returned with two spades, then they valiantly 
set to work at the nearest practicable point to the 
heap of leaves. At the end of a few minutes Penny 
stopped to wipe her streaming face. “ I didn’t know 
it was so hot and I hadn’t an idea it would be such 
hard work,” she said. 

“ Neither did I,” responded Brownie. “ I don’t 
suppose we need go very deep. The ground is so hard 
and dry that it would take us ages to dig a very big 
hole.” 

Just at this moment they heard some one whistling 
at the gate, then some one called out: “ What are you 
doing, girls ? ” 

The girls looked up to see two boys standing on the 
other side of the fence. “ We’re cleaning up the 
town,” Penny made answer with a laugh. 

“May we come in? That’s our business, too,” re- 
turned the taller of the boys, “ and we want all the 
laurels that are coming to us.” 


CLEANING UP THE TOWN 


31 


** You're welcome to any you may get here," re- 
turned Penny. “ Come on in." 

“ This looks like gardening," said Rufus Marshall, 
the boy who had spoken. 

“ It may look like it, but it isn’t. You know the 
order has gone forth from the powers that be that the 
town has got to be cleaned up and we Girl Scouts are 
to do our part of the cleaning." 

“ Likewise have we Boy Scouts to do our part." 

“ And isn’t it disgraceful,” continued Penny, that 
we have to begin with the Atwoods’ back yard ? Look 
at that mess." 

“ Exactly and precisely where I began," retiirned 
Rufus laughing, “ and likewise and similarly I found 
just such another mess in our back yard, only to be 
perfectly frank, ours was worse. I don’t call this bad 
at all." 

“ It is a relief to my mind to hear you say that,” 
Penny told him. “ I really felt disgraced, for I didn’t 
believe anyone but Rilly could get together such a 
heap of disgrace." 

You don’t know our Bridget. Really, you could 
have left this under the leaves and almost all. of it 
would have rotted with them." 

“ Not the cans and bottles." 

‘‘ No, they wouldn’t, of course. Here, give me that 
spade. This is no work for ladies. After all it isn’t 
a bad plan to bury the whole outfit." 

“ What did you do with yours? " 


32 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Got it ready to burn, found the wind was in the 
wrong direction, so I left it and to-morrow weVe going 
to get Paddy Bourke's cart and haul the things to the 
dump heap. For your mess, as you call it, I think this 
is the better way. Our yard isn^t as big as yours. 
What isn’t flower border and grass plot is brick walk. 
I say, Jess,” he turned to the other boy, ‘‘ why wouldn’t 
it be a good plan to follow up the Girl Scouts’ discov- 
eries? They could go on ahead and locate what’s to 
be carted away, and we’ll come get the stuff. Of 
course, I don’t mean anything that is legitimate trash 
for the garbage, but things like these. It would ex- 
pedite matters, it seems to me.” 

Good scheme,” returned Jesse Gale. ‘‘ What is 
your territory, girls ? ” 

Brownie told him and he nodded in agreement. 
“ Just suits us. We go that route, too. I guess this 
is deep enough, Rufe. Here goes, tin cans and broken 
bottles in the sub cellar, shoes next, rags on top of 
them. That makes the finest sort of ragout. Now 
for the top crust.” 

“ Not a rag out, a rag in,” said Penny, at which at- 
tempt at a pun the boys groaned dismally. 

“ Wouldn’t believe it of you. Penny,” said Rufus. 

Now this is done, what next? ” 

“Got a rake?” asked Jesse. “We want to get 
those leaves into a neat pile.” 

Penny ran off to get the rake, casting her eyes to the 
right and left as she returned. “ I reckon that is 


CLEANING UP THE TOWN 


33 


about all here/’ she decided as she gave the rake into 
Jesse’s hands. I don’t believe Rilly has anything 
more concealed about the premises. Thank you ever 
and ever so much. I feel so nice and orderly. We 
are going to Brownie’s next, but you know everything 
will be in apple-pie order there.” 

“ Of course where there are Brownies at work,” re- 
marked Rufus. “ I suppose you begin your real cam- 
paign to-morrow. Lucky this crusade has started be- 
fore school begins.” 

Probably that’s why they did start it now,” said 
Brownie. “We are going to get off very early. We 
begin at Silver Street.” 

“ Then I’ll tell you what: we’ll start at the other end. 
Gold Street, you know, and we can meet you at the 
junction of Market. You can make a list of the 
places we are to stop and we can attend to the carting,” 
Rufus proposed this. 

“Good work, Rufe,” commented Jesse. “We’ll 
have this burg so slicked up the boys won’t know it 
when they get back.” 

“ I’d hate that,” rejoined Rufus; “ we don’t want to 
get them homesick. Let’s get on, Jess. You won’t 
fail to keep the tryst, girls. Market and Gold — or Sil- 
ver. Just look out for Paddy Bourke’s green equi- 
page.” 

“ That was just lovely of those boys,” said Penny as 
she carried back the tools. 

“ It sho’ was. I am glad they are to be on the job 


34 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


to-morrow/' said Brownie ; “ it will relieve us of a lot 
of responsibility. There’s nothing like team work 
after all. Come along and let’s see what is doing at 
our house.” 

But the Burtons’ house and premises were above 
criticism, and the girls parted to meet the next morning 
in order to begin the day’s round. Each had provided 
herself with a note-book and pencil and felt very im- 
portant. During the first part of the day they were 
quite enthusiastic, although they were received vari- 
ously, sometimes with smiles, sometimes with frowns, 
but generally when they explained their mission they 
were promised hearty cooperation. 

“ It isn’t near as bad as I thought it was going to 
be,” said Brownie, as they turned the corner of the 
street where they had been working. 

'' No, it isn’t,” Penny agreed, “ but that is a nice 
street, and most of the people know us, so they 
wouldn’t be rude. It doesn’t look so promising in this 
direction.” 

“ No, it doesn’t,” acknowledged Brownie rather du- 
biously. “ These are mostly old houses, and in some 
of them several families live. I reckon now begins 
our tug of war.” 

She was not far out of her reckoning, for here they 
met a different spirit, either defiance or complete in- 
difference, although there were exceptions enough to 
keep them from being utterly discouraged. It was 
when they attempted to enter the last house on the 


CLEANING UP THE TOWN 


35 


street that they found themselves entirely at a loss how 
to meet the situation. The house was rather a large 
one, and in its best days had been quite handsome. A 
fine old doorway showed that it had been a long time 
since it had known paint. Many of the windows were 
broken and were stuffed with rags, shutters were off 
in many places, bricks had fallen from nearly every 
chimney. 

The two girls looked it up and down. “ I don't be- 
lieve anyone lives here,” said Penny. 

“ It will be just as well to find out,” replied Brownie 
mounting the steps and knocking sharply on the door, 
for there was no sign of a bell, the place where it 
should have been presenting only a hole. 

“ Knock again,” advised Penny as no one responded 
to the knock. 

Brownie knocked louder and again they waited. “ I 
reckon you're right,” decided Brownie when they 
found waiting of no avail. 

“ Perhaps they are all at the back. I see there is a 
gate and a side yard. Suppose we try to get in there, 
and that will give us our chance to examine it.” 

Brownie agreed to this. They found the gate sag- 
ging on its hinges and dragging heavily on the ground, 
but by their combined efforts they managed to lift it 
sufficiently to allow them to squeeze inside. Then 
they stood still aghast. 

‘‘Well,” exclaimed Penny after a survey of the 
place, “ this beats the Dutch. It's the very worst yet. 


36 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TBOOP 


Look at all those cats, Brownie ; there must be a dozen, 
at least/* 

‘'And chickens, just roaming around anywhere/* 

“ Tin cans, rags, old furniture, all sorts of stuff. 
It’s perfectly awful. Somebody must live here to feed 
the chickens and the cats. Let’s go to the door at the 
back ; there must be one.’* 

They made their way around through piles of ref- 
use, scaring cats from their lairs and chickens from 
their roosts. A hen cackled wildly as she flew from a 
nest in a barrel, and a one-eyed cat bristled angrily and 
growled defiance as they neared the door. 

“ It’s like some old ogre’s den that you read about 
in fairy tales,” declared Penny, as they stepped up to 
the back door. 

After many knocks and much patient waiting they 
heard footsteps inside, then the door was opened a 
crack and a grisly head appeared. “ Who are you and 
what do you want ? ** queried an old man scowling at 
them. 

“We are Girl Scouts,** began Penny bravely, “ and 
we have come ** 

“ Don*t know anything about you and I never give 
to charity.** The old man cut short her speech and 
slammed the door in her face. 

It was a moment before Penny recovered herself 
enough to turn to Brownie and say: “ Did you ever? ** 

The two girls looked at one another for a moment 
and then broke into irrepressible giggles. 


CLEANING UP THE TOWN 


37 


** It wouldn’t do to climb in one of those broken 
windows,” at last said Brownie between giggles. 

“ Or to try to batter down the door.” 

‘‘ That would be house breaking.” 

“ It is already broken.” 

At this Brownie started off again, but finally the two 
girls subsided enough to discuss the situation with 
some soberness. “All we can do is to report it,” 
Penny decided. 

“ We’ll tell the Boy Scouts and maybe they can do 
something with the ogre. He really does seem like 
an ogre, doesn’t he ? ” 

“ Or a wizard. These cats don’t look any too well 
fed, by the way; I wonder what the old man gives 
them to eat.” 

“ Eggs, maybe.” 

“ He probably eats those himself. Perhaps the cats 
catch mice and rats ; it looks like a very ratty place.” 

“ Oh, Pen, perhaps he is a miser and has treasure 
hid away; that would account for his saying that he 
never gave anything to charity.” 

“ Of course, although he must be fond of animals, 
and I don’t believe a miser would harbor so many. 
Two or three would be enough to keep the mice and 
rats away.” 

“ Well, there is no use in our lingering here ; it’s 
time to meet the boys, anyway.” 

“ Just wait till I jot down a few notes in my note- 
book.” 


38 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 

“You can do that outside. I don’t like to linger 
here among all these cats.” 

“ They won’t hurt you.” 

“ Maybe not, but they stare at you in such a discon- 
certing way that it gives me the shivers.” 

“ Poor little pussy cats ; I’m afraid they don’t have 
a very happy time, they look so meagre and witchy.” 

“ I suppose you are imagining how you would feel if 
you lived with an ogre,” said Brownie laughing. 

They managed to squeeze through the gateway 
again, but decided that they would get the boys to 
come and put the gate in place, then Penny having 
jotted down her notes they went on to meet the boys. 

Paddy Bourke’s green cart was easily discerned, and 
the boys were not far off. They came up eagerly. 
“Well, girls, what sort of morning have you had?” 
asked Rufus. 

“ We’ve had a high old time,” responded Penny. 
“At first it was plain sailing and everyone was as nice 
as could be, then it began to get worse, and just at the 
very last we struck a regular old ogre’s den, all full of 
bones and cats and things.” 

“Whew! Sounds interesting,” put in Jesse. 

“ It might be if we could get inside, but when you 
have the door slammed in your face what are you 
going to do ? ” 

“ Is that what happened ? ” 

“ That is exactly what did. We thought maybe you 
boys could tackle the ogre better than we could, but at 


CLEANING UP THE TOWN 


39 


any rate we shall report the house. There are one or 
two others that are pretty bad, but this beats the 
bunch.’^ 

“Tell us where it is and we’ll beard the ogre in his 
den,” said Rufus. 

“ But you won’t hurt the cats ? ” Penny spoke up. 

“ Of course not. What do you take us for? ” an- 
swered Rufus somewhat indignantly. “ Tell us where 
the place is and we’ll go right around.” 

“ First let us give you a list of the places where you 
are to go to gather up junk that is to be carted away. 
Two or three of the people were really quite grateful 
when we told them you would call with a cart, for they 
didn’t know how to dispose of the trash. I suppose 
you have had a busy morning.” 

“ You can bet we have, and it looks as if we would 
have a busy afternoon with cats and chickens and 
ogres to dispose of.” 

“ Suppose you can’t get in that house either, what 
shall you do ? ” 

“ Ho, that’s an easy one. We’ll go armed with the 
law.” 

“ I’d love to say: Open in the name of the law,” 
said Penny turning to Brownie. “ You see we didn’t 
know exactly whether we had a right to say that, and 
if we had done it we didn’t know what the old man 
might do, shoot us or something.” 

“ Was it as bad as that? He can’t be a very pre- 
possessing old person.” 


40 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“ He isn’t, but I saw one darling kitten.” 

The others laughed, knowing Penny’s love of kit- 
tens. ‘‘ Well, give us his ogreship’s address,” said 
Jesse, “ and we’ll see what can be done.” 

‘‘ Don’t forget to tell us what happened,” said Penny 
as the boys went off. 

We’ll come around your way and report,” Rufus 
called back. 

This afternoon? ” 

Yes, when the day’s work is done.” 

“ That’s good,” declared Brownie to Penny. ‘‘ I’m 
crazy to find out what they will do. I’d feel sort of 
cheap if they were to get in when we couldn’t.” 

‘‘ I shouldn’t, for he may be a sort of — sort of 

What’s the name for a man that hates women? ” 

‘‘ Oh, let me see — misanthrope ; no, that isn’t it, a — 
a — misyoganist ? That doesn’t sound quite right 
either. We’ll have to look it up in the dictionary. 
Maybe he is that. Penny, something tells me it is 
dinner-time.” 

“ The same sort of something is telling me. I am 
as hungry as a hunter.” 

“ Well, we have been hunters this morning and have 
a right to be hungry. Let’s knock off for the present. 
Miss Varney said we mustn’t go too hard and wear 
ourselves out.” 

“ I shall not feel quite so worn out when I have had 
something to eat, though I must confess I am wonder- 
ing how I am to get up the energy to walk home.” 


CLEANING UP THE TOWN 


41 


“ Come home with me and have dinner,” Brownie 
suggested. It’s much nearer and you can telephone 
your mother.” 

«Oh, but ” 

‘‘ There isn’t a single but in the case. Come right 
along; Mother will be delighted and we’re going to 
have apple cobbler.” 

That settled it, and Penny made no further protest. 


CHAPTER III 


TOMMY THISTLE 

I T was late in the afternoon that the boys appeared 
to give an account of their mission. The girls 
were on the lookout and ran to the gate as soon as the 
boys came whistling up the street. “What news? 
What news ? ” cried the girls. 

“ Well, we got in,’’ answered the boys as they came 
up. 

“ Part way in,” corrected Jesse, “ but we did inter- 
view the old man.” 

“ How did you manage it ? ” 

“ When we found that he didn’t answer our knock 
we went off and hid, for we knew he would be bound 
to come out some time, if not from curiosity at least to 
feed the chickens or something like that.” Rufus told 
them this. 

“And what did he do? What did he say? Was he 
very ogreish ? ” the girls asked with one breath. 

“ He is a poor, miserable old snipe, that looks as if 
he didn’t eat enough to keep soul and body together, 
and I don’t believe he does. He talks like a fairly well 
educated man, says he was born in that house and 
hopes he may die there, and I should say he would if 
42 


TOMMY THISTLE 


43 


he stays there much longer. He was so upset and 
shaky when we told him he must clean up the place that 
I felt sorry for him.” Jesse contributed this infor- 
mation. 

I don’t exactly see what is to be done about it,” 
Rufus went on. “ He certainly isn’t able to do much 
himself, and resented our going in at all. We did 
manage to get inside one room, and such a place as it 
was, cats everywhere, chickens roosting all over the 
furniture, everything higgledy-piggledy. He ought to 
be looked after, but who is going to do it ? ” 

‘'Of course we shall have to report it, for the case 
comes within our district,” said Penny with a troubled 
look. 

“We told him the authorities would have to look 
into it,” returned Jesse, “ and he almost wept.” 

“ But hasn’t he any friends to look after him, no re- 
lations ? ” asked Brownie. 

“ He says not. He says the only friends he has in 
the world are his cats and chickens.” 

“ Oh, dear ! ” Penny drew a long sigh. “ I didn’t 
dream that anything so dreadful would come our way. 
I wish we could do something about it.” 

“ We four could clean up the place if he would let 
us,” remarked Brownie. 

“And at the end of a week it would be just as bad as 
ever,” declared Rufus. “ No, it should be something 
more than that, something that would give permanent 
results.” 


44 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Well, all we can do is to tell Miss Varney about 
it,” decided Penny, ** for we don’t have to take all re- 
sponsibility.” 

We sure don’t,” replied Rufus. 

‘‘ Well, you have done a great deal, yes, a very great 
deal in seeing him at all,” said Penny earnestly, ‘‘ for 
now instead of thinking of him as an ogre we can pity 
him for being a poor, miserable old man, friendless 
and alone.” 

Funny how your point of view changes when you 
get at the core of things,” said Jesse thoughtfully. 
“We went there prepared to bullyrag the old codger 
and we came away wondering how we could help 
him.” 

“ Well, so long, girls,” said Rufus, “ we must be 
moving. Let us know how the thing works out.” 

“We will do that,” the girls promised, and then the 
boys went off. 

“We must go right away to Miss Varney with our 
report,” said Penny. “ It’s getting late.” 

“Yes, and this matter should be attended to at 
once. Somehow it seems more important than all the 
rest. If the man is ill he should have a doctor.” 

“And if he is hungry he should have food. If he is 
proud and a gentleman it is going to be pretty hard to 
deal with him; I can see that.” 

Brownie agreed that it would be, and the two hur- 
ried off to the Captain of their troop to lay the matter 
before her. 


TOMMY THISTLE 


45 


Miss Varney showed the deepest interest in their 
report, and promised to take up the matter at once. 
“ Don’t worry over it, girls,” she said. Leave it all 
to me. I will consult the proper persons, and you may 
be sure that whatever seems best will be done.” So 
with this assurance they were obliged to be satisfied, 
though it must be said that Penny lay awake a long 
time that night wondering what would become not 
only of the old man, but of his animals. 

She could scarcely wait to swallow her breakfast the 
next morning before she was off. “ Where are you 
going so early ? ” asked her mother. 

To see that old man,” Penny called back and was 
out of sight before her mother could say another word. 
She had worked out a plan while she was dressing, and 
with Penny to plan was to perform. On her way she 
stopped at a corner grocery and bought a bottle of 
milk. A little further on she went into a butcher’s 
shop and came out with a small package in her hand. 
Then she continued her way till she came to the old 
house which she and Brownie had dubbed the Ogre’s 
Den. She hesitated a minute before going around to 
the gate, looking the house up and down, then she ran 
eagerly up the steps to pick up a little black kitten 
which she saw crouching in the corner by the door. 
“ You poor little thing,” she said caressingly. “ I 
wonder if you belong in this house.” 

‘‘ Meow ! ” said the kitten, making no struggle to get 
away. 


46 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“ I certainly believe you do,” Penny went on, ‘‘ I’m 
going to take you around to the back and see if it 
seems familiar to you. Perhaps if the old man sees 
you he will come out.” 

She carried the kitten around to the sagging gate, 
and squeezed her way through. Hunting around she 
found an old tin can into which she poured some of the 
milk from the bottle. The kitten lapped it eagerly. 
When it appeared satisfied Penny poured out more of 
the milk, and took from the parcel she carried some 
bits of meat which she threw on the ground, and then 
she stood off to watch events. Presently from under 
a pile of boards stole cautiously forth a gray cat, from 
another hiding place crept a black-and-white one, then 
appeared a yellow one, and, as Penny looked, she saw 
issuing from the house several more cats one after the 
other. 

“ That’s funny,” said Penny to herself. “ The door 
must be open. Now’s my chance.” 

Picking up the kitten, which seemed perfectly at 
home, she went toward the door. The cats eyed her 
suspiciously but went on eating. Penny went up to 
the door and knocked. After waiting a while she 
knocked again. The door was still ajar, and presently 
she pushed it softly open, then she stepped inside. 
There was no one in sight. Curled up in a dilapidated 
armchair was another cat, a very old one. Penny de- 
cided. Upon a shelf was another one asleep, and as 
she moved further into the room from the depths of a 


TOMMY THISTLE 


47 


cupboard flew a hen cackling loudly. Penny went over 
to the spot, peered into a box and found a newly laid 
egg. “ That’s handy,” she said with a little chuckle, 
to have your breakfast provided to order.” 

She stood still to take a survey of the room which 
showed signs of being continuously occupied by both 
man and beast. An old lounge with broken springs 
stood in one corner. Several soiled comfortables lay 
in a heap upon it, looking as if they had been tossed 
there by some one who had lately gotten up. A cup 
with dregs of tea in it stood on a table, egg shells lay 
beside it. Penny tiptoed across the room and peered 
into the cupboard which was bared of everything but a 
little sugar in a cracked bowl, a few crackers and some 
corn-meal, although she presently did spy on the floor 
in a corner a bag containing some screenings for 
chicken feed. “ Pretty slim rations I should say,” 
murmured Penny. 

She shut the cupboard door and stood still in the 
middle of the room listening. There was not a sound 
to be heard within the house, except the solemn ticking 
of an ancient clock which stood on a shelf over a rusty 
stove. Emboldened by the silence Penny pushed open 
a door and tiptoed out into a dimly lighted hallway. 
Other rooms opened out of it. Stepping softly across 
this the girl opened one door after another. She saw 
heavy pieces of furniture in some of the rooms, por- 
traits on the walls, but no human presence. It is 
sort of ghostly,” she whispered. ‘‘ Perhaps Pd better 


48 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


not go further, for there’s no telling what I might 
come across. I think I’ll make a lot of noise and then 
if there is anyone up there I shall be heard.” 

Then she went around slamming doors, and walking 
heavily as she went, listening once in a while for some 
sound from above, but none came, and finally she went 
back into the room which was evidently the kitchen, 
and found the little kitten sitting on a table placidly 
washing its face. ‘‘ I reckon you belong here all 
right,” said Penny, ** but I hate to leave you. I won- 
der what has become of that old man. He certainly is 
far from being a good housekeeper. I never saw such 
a dirty place in all my life and there isn’t a sign of a 
broom anywhere. I reckon I’d better go to Miss Var- 
ney’s if I want to find out anything. Good-bye, kitten ; 
I may see you again.” 

She went out softly, closing the door, then, on sec- 
ond thoughts, she left it ajar. There isn’t much to 
steal,” she said to herself, “ and maybe the cats will 
want to get out. I’d better leave it as nearly as pos- 
sible as I found it.” 

Passing into the yard she saw that the cats had de- 
voured every scrap of meat and had taken all the milk. 
She picked up the empty bottle, deciding to take it 
home and wash it before returning it to the grocer. 
As she stood looking about the chickens came flocking 
to her, evidently asking for breakfast. 

“ I wonder if I dare feed you,” said Penny. “ It 
seems rather a liberty to take, but I believe I will risk 


TOMMY THISTLE 


49 


it.” She went into the house, brought out some 
screenings and scattered them on the ground, then she 
filled an old tin pan with water, wormed her way again 
through the gate and walked rapidly toward Miss Var- 
ney's home. 

“ That was really an adventure,” she soliloquized. 
** I suppose I ought to have brought Brownie with me, 
but I thought perhaps if only one of us went to the old 
man he wouldn’t be scared to come out. I wonder 
where in the world he is. He might have been up- 
stairs ill or ” She gave a quick gasp and hurried 

on faster. 

‘‘ You are an early bird,” was Miss Varney’s greet- 
ing. Where is Brownie ? ” 

I didn’t stop for her,” Penny began breathlessly, 

because I went right straight to that old man’s. Oh, 
Miss Varney, do you know where he is? He wasn’t 
in the house, at least not down-stairs, and I was too 
scared to go any further.” 

‘‘ Yes, I can tell you exactly where he is,” said Miss 
Varney with a smile. He is in the hospital.” 

‘‘ Oh, then he is ill.” 

“ Yes. I sent Dr. Gates right over last evening, and 
he said he must go at once to a hospital for treatment. 
He had a great time persuading the poor old fellow to 
go, but when he told him that the authorities might 
send him to a charitable institution or even to the poor- 
house he consented.” 

How long must he stay there ? ” asked Penny. 


50 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“ That is uncertain. The doctor wants to look him 
over thoroughly before he can decide.” 

‘‘ Then where will he go ? When he comes out, I 
mean, and what will become of his animals? ” Penny 
looked troubled. 

“ Oh, my dear, those are really vital questions that 
cannot be settled at once.” 

''I fed the chickens and the cats,” said Penny, “ and 
I think I will do it every day till we know what is go- 
ing to happen. You don’t suppose they will drown all 
those dear cats, do you, the City Fathers, I mean? 
There is such a cunning little black kitten, so friendly 
and darling.” 

“ That would seem a pity, to destroy them, I mean, 
but they mustn’t be neglected and allowed to starve; 
that would be worse than putting them out of the 
way.” 

“ We could try to find homes for them if the old 
man isn’t coming back. I would do my best, and so 
would Brownie; I think some of the boys would, too.” 

‘‘ That’s a good suggestion, Penny. We’ll have to 
see about it.” 

What is the old man’s name? Could I go to the 
hospital to see him? ” 

His name is Mason, and I will ask the doctor about 
your going to see him.” 

With this Penny was obliged to be satisfied, and she 
went soberly away, stopping to see Brownie before she 
went home. They were to go on their second tour of 


TOMMY THISTLE 


61 


investigation, but were advised not to go at it as vigor- 
ously as they had done the day before. ‘‘ You will 
wear yourselves out before the week is over if you 
keep up this pace,” Miss Varney cautioned them, and 
I would take a good long rest, in the middle of the day 
when it is warm.” 

Brownie was discovered helping her mother to make 
pickles, but declared the job would soon be finished and 
then she would be ready to start out again on the 
business of cleaning up the town. She listened inter- 
estedly while Penny told of her morning’s adventure. 

Why didn’t you come for me ? ” she asked. 

“ Well, you see,” said Penny, “ I thought maybe if 
Mr. Mason, that’s his name. Brownie, if he were to see 
me there alone and feeding the cats he might come out 
and talk to me, but if there were two of us he 
mightn’t.” 

I don’t see why not. I don’t see why he should be 
more scared of two girls than of one.” 

‘‘ I didn’t think he would be scared exactly, but only 
more ready to come out.” 

“ I don’t see the argument,” replied Brownie; how- 
ever, as long as you didn’t see him it doesn’t matter.” 

I’m going again this evening to feed the cats, so if 
you’d like to go along ” 

“If you are going to buy milk and meat for all 
those cats every day it will cost you a pretty penny,” 
Brownie warned her. “ Meat and milk are so awfully 
high.” 


52 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Yes, I know it, but I shall not have to do it long, 
and I am using my own pocket money, so iPs nobody’s 
business but my own,” Penny answered with some 
heat. 

“ Oh, of course,” Brownie agreed hastily, “ only we 
shall all want to save up for the Belgian girl.” 

“ Oh dear, yes. I had forgotten her. Well, I can’t 
let those poor cats starve, Belgian or no Belgian. Are 
you ready. Brown ? ” 

“All but washing my hands and taking off my apron. 
I wonder what we shall strike to-day.” 

“ Not another forlorn old man, I hope.” 

“ And another family of cats ; you will be dead 
broke if we do.” 

But there were no more such cases found in this 
day’s rounds, yet they had by no means finished with 
old Mr. Mason. When they made their report to Miss 
Varney that evening they were told that the old man 
would be in the hospital for a long time, in all proba- 
bility. 

“ Will he get quite well ? ” Penny asked. 

“ It is doubtful, but the doctor hopes he will improve 
enough to be removed to some home,” Miss Varney 
told her. 

“ Oh, dear, he won’t like that any better than the 
hospital, I am afraid. Then, Miss Varney, we’ve got 
to do something about the cats. I wish I could see 
him.” 

“ Well, my dear, there is no objection. He is not 


TOMMY THISTLE 


53 


too ill to receive visitors, the doctor says, and indeed 
I believe it would cheer him up to feel that some one 
took enough interest to come to see him.” 

“ Then I’ll go to-morrow and take him some flowers. 
What about you. Brownie ? ” 

I’ll go the next day, so we can string along the 
visits.” 

'' So much the better,” declared Miss Varney. 
“ You are doing finely, girls. Don’t forget to wear 
cheerful faces when you go to the hospital.” 

Armed with this permission Penny started out the 
next day, though not without some perturbation. She 
had been to the hospital before and knew the head 
nurse, so the mere fact of being a visitor did not dis- 
turb her, but she wondered how she would be received 
by the patient himself. She carried a large bunch of 
bright dahlias as she started out, but laid these down 
on the grass and ran back. 

** Forgotten something ? ” her mother called out. 

“ I want to get a basket,” replied Penny without 
further explanation. 

She came back with the basket, laid the dahlias in it 
and went on. Leaving the regular route to the hos- 
pital she turned off to enter the yard of the house now 
called Mr. Mason’s instead of the Ogre’s Den. The 
cats and chickens all came to meet her with expectation 
of a meal. “ Not yet, my dears,” said Penny. 
“ You’ll have to wait till later, but I can promise you 
that you are not to go without a supper.” 


54 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


The little black kitten rubbed against her, purring 
softly. “ I’m going to take you to make a visit,” 
Penny said, stroking the little creature and then put- 
ting it into the covered basket from which she took the 
flowers. “ Maybe you won’t like it, but I think your 
master will be glad to see you. Good-bye, you others ; 
I’ll be back after a while.” 

At the hospital she asked for the head nurse. 

Miss Converse,”^ she said, ‘‘ I’ve come to see Mr. 
Mason and I’ve brought him these flowers, and ” — she 
hesitated, — “ would it be all right if I were to take his 
kitten in to see him ? ” 

“ Why, my dear,” Miss Converse looked dubious, 
“ I’m afraid that would never do. You see, he is in 
the free ward, and there are others there.” 

He is a real clean kitten,” expostulated Penny with 
a wistful smile. His mother washes him every day. 
He is in this basket, and has been so good all the way.” 

Miss Converse looked amused, though she said : “ I 
think you’d better let me take charge of him while you 
make your visit.” 

Couldn’t Mr. Mason have just one little peep at 
him ? ” begged Penny, greatly disappointed. 

Miss Converse shook her head. “ Sorry, my dear, 
but it wouldn’t do.” 

So Penny was obliged to go into the free ward bear- 
ing only her flowers. 

Mr. Mason, very pale and thin, but exceedingly 
clean, was quite a different person from the grisly 


TOMMY THISTLE 


55 


ogre, though he gave no sign of being glad to see 
Penny, who smiled down upon him and said: ‘‘Pm 
Penny Atwood. Pve brought you some flowers out 
of our garden. I brought your little black kitten, too, 
but they wouldn’t let me take him in here.” 

At this piece of information a wan smile came over 
the patient’s thin face. “ How do you know anything 
about my kitten ? ” he asked. 

Penny gave the flowers into the hands of a nurse 
who came up to take them, promising to put them in 
water, then, seating herself in a chair by the bedside 
Penny began to explain. “ Why, don’t you remem- 
ber,” she began, ‘‘ I came to see you yesterday with a 
friend, only you — you didn’t care about seeing us, so 
we went away.” She tried to put the matter as deli- 
cately as possible, but won no answer. “ Then,” she 
went on, ‘‘ I thought I would call again this morning, 
but you weren’t there, only the darling kitten was sit- 
ting on the steps. Perhaps you would like to know,” 
she paused a little, '' that I have fed the cats and the 
chickens, and they are getting along all right.” 

The old man studied her face for a moment before 
he asked : “ What did you do that for ? ” 

Penny opened her eyes wide. “ Why, because 

Don’t you want anyone to feed them? Would you 
rather they’d starve ? ” 

The man gave a negative shake of the head : ‘‘ Oh 
no, oh no. Poor things, poor things, what is to be- 
come of them? ” 


56 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 

“ Would you like me to get good homes for them? 
I would try very hard.” 

The patient looked at her in silence for a moment. 

I cannot understand it,” he said quaveringly. ‘‘ I 
have no claim upon you.” 

“ Oh, yes, you have,” returned Penny cheerfully, 
“ all our friends have a claim upon us, and our Girl 
Scout book says that we must be a friend to all the 
world. Do you know about Girl Scouts? You know 
about Boy Scouts, of course, everybody does ; well, we 
are as near like them as girls can be, and the very first 
thing we do is to promise first: to do our duty to God 
and our country; second: to help other people at all 
times; third: to obey the laws of the Scouts. One of 
these laws is that we must be kind to animals ; that is 
the very easiest one for me, because I do love animals, 
and I can’t bear to see them suffer.” 

The old man listened in silence to this explanation. 
Penny drew her breath and then went on: “If you 
would like me to try to get homes for the cats I cer- 
tainly will try, as I told you before. Would you like 
me to ? ” Then suddenly realizing that this implied 
that he would not be able to take charge of them again, 
she continued diplomatically: “ Of course, when you 
get well, you could have them back again.” 

“ I shall not get well,” the old man said. “ The 
doctor has told me. I may live some months, perhaps 
a year or^two, but I shall not go into my old home 
again, the home where I have lived all my life. It was 


TOMMY THISTLE 


67 


a pleasant home once, but after my dear wife died I 

couldn’t, I couldn’t ” He broke off, and Penny, 

full of sympathy but not knowing just what to say, 
leaned over and stroked the wrinkled hand that lay 
outside the covers. Presently Mr. Mason recovered 
himself and said in an altered voice: '‘You are very 
good to take this interest in me and my pets, and I 
shall be very grateful if you will see that they have 
homes, very grateful indeed.” 

Penny rose to go. " I will come and tell you all 
about them, and I shall start right away to see what I 
can do. I shall take the kitten myself, I know Mother 
will let me, and he shall be the mascot for our troop of 
Girl Scouts. I am going to call him Tommy Thistle. 
Good-bye. I am coming again just as soon as I can.” 

She went off smilingly, but the old man lay with 
closed eyes, tears trickling down his cheeks. 

So Tommy Thistle did not go back to his old quar- 
ters, but to a meeting of the Thistle Troop, where he 
made “ his meow,” as Brownie said, and was enthusi- 
astically elected as the troop’s mascot. 


CHAPTER IV 


PENNY MAKES A SACRIFICE 

I T was one thing to promise and another to perform, 
Penny found out before a week was over, for al- 
though the number of cats diminished, it was very 
difficult to find homes for twelve. The mice which 
Davy had used in his play of Cinderella seemed to be 
the advance guard of others, for Rilly complained that 
she was having trouble in keeping them out of the 
pantry. 

Then we can take one of the cats,” said Penny, 
triumphantly. “ Pll ask Mr. Mason which is the best 
mouser among them, and we'll take that; can’t we. 
Mother ? ” 

“ It does seem the best way to get rid of the mice, 
but what about your Tommy Thistle ? ” 

“ Oh, he isn’t mine altogether ; he is the mascot of 
the Thistle Troop. He goes to all the meetings, and 
the girls club together to pay for the milk he drinks.” 
‘‘ Is that all the food he has? ” 

“ No, but it is most all, and there are plenty of 
scraps from the table to give him the rest of what he 
needs. I think Tommy Thistle is a nice name for him 
because he is prickly and fluffy both.” 

58 


PENNY MAKES A SACEIFICE 


59 


“ You don’t think a strange cat will hurt him? ” 

“ But it won’t be a strange cat ; it will be at least an 
acquaintance, if not a relative.” 

“ I see,” Mrs. Atwood smiled. ‘‘ Well, I see no ob- 
jection to our taking one of the cats.” 

“ Good ! Good ! That leaves only five to be pro- 
vided for. If they were all kittens I shouldn’t have 
so much trouble, but so few persons want old cats, 
especially when they are ugly. All the young, good- 
looking ones are picked out. I suppose you wouldn’t 
mind an ugly one so long as it is a good mouser and 
doesn’t get into trouble.” 

“ You must see what Rilly says. You know she is 
very autocratic and it wouldn’t be so pleasant for the 
cat if she were to take a dislike to it.” 

“ That is quite true, and she likes to be consulted. 
I’ll try to see Mr. Mason to-day and ask him about the 
mousing qualities of the different ones. I wish cats 
didn’t have to have mousing qualities, or else that mice 
were not such objectionable, gnawing little beasts, for 
they are very cunning. Roy Harlan has a pair of 
white mice and they are too pretty for words. Roy is 
very fond of them and that is why he wouldn’t take a 
cat. Leila Sheldon wouldn’t take one because she has 
a bird, and she said horrid things about cats. I told 
her that she didn’t know them and had an entirely 
wrong idea of them. I told her that people ate birds 
and she might as well say she hated people.” 

“ What was her answer to that ? ” 


60 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Penny smiled. '' She said she would hate anybody 
who ate her bird.” 

Leaving her mother laughing at Leila’s way of 
begging the question, Penny went off to interview Mr. 
Mason. The two had become very good friends by 
this time, and under careful treatment the old man 
was improving beyond what had been expected. 
Rufus Marshall and Jesse Gale had agreed to sell the 
chickens if Penny would undertake the cats. The 
eggs, too, which they collected they were able to sell 
at the highest market price, and they had no diffi- 
culty in finding customers for the chickens in their 
own troop of Boy Scouts. 

After a satisfactory visit to the hospital Penny re- 
turned home to talk things over with Rilly. She ap- 
proached her subject diplomatically, knowing Rilly ’s 
peculiarities. “ Caught any more mice, Rilly ? ” she 
began by asking. 

“ Not a blessed' one. Dey is gettin’ too clever. Dey 
knows dat trap. Ef dat little kitten was bigger he’d 
soon show ’em. He mighty peart, dat kitten is.” 

“ I suppose a grown cat would be better. If we 
knew one that was a real good mouser it might be the 
best thing, don’t you think? ” 

‘‘ Mebbe, but how is yuh goin’ to tell ? Don’t want 
no triflin’, no ’count cat around, stealin’ an’ gettin’ 
under foot.” 

‘‘ I know where there are two fine mousers. Sup- 
pose you go with me to pick out one of them.” 


PENNY MAKES A SACEIPICE 


61 


‘‘ Whar dey at?’’ 

The same place that Tommy Thistle came from. 
I went to see that old man to-day and I was talking 
about the cats. You know I’ve promised to get homes 
for them all, if I possibly can. There are six left, so 
we can have our pick.” 

“All right, yuh wait till I gets my wuk done dis 
afternoon and we’ll go cat huntin’.” 

This suited Penny exactly. If she had approached 
Rilly in any other way probably she would have had no 
success. It was policy to get her interested, and then 
propose a plan of action. 

The two started off together, Rilly very important, 
quite as if she were going on a government mission. 
Once arrived she looked around with the greatest con- 
tempt. “ Yuh calls this a house,” she said. 

“ What would you call it, Rilly? ” Penny asked. 

“ I calls it a pig pen,” she replied with a chuckle. 

“ It isn’t anything to what it was. You should see 
what the boys have done. They have carted away lots 
of trash from the outside, and have begun to clear up 
inside.” 

“ Huh ! Whar dem cats ? ” 

“ Oh, around, in different places. They will come 
as soon as they know I have something for them to 
eat.” 

She put some food down on the ground and in a 
few minutes the half dozen cats were there. Rilly 
looked them over critically. 


62 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Mr. Mason says that one-eyed gray one is the best 
hunter of them all.” Penny gave the information. 

Rilly shook her head decidedly. “ Uh uh, don’t 
have no use fo’ no one-eyeded cat. He looks ’zackly 
lak ole cunjur man what live off in de woods down by 
my gran’mother’s. No, ma’am, don’t want no one- 
eyeded nothin’. Sho’ would bring me bad luck.” 

“ What about that gray one ? She’s good, too.” 

“ Das all right. I laks her looks. She kinder 
pleasant-faced. She got nice big eyes. We teks dat 
one.” 

That settled it, so the gray cat was bundled into a 
basket, in spite of some resistance, and was borne off 
to her new home. “ Have to shet her up fo’ a few 
days an’ feed her well,” declared Rilly, “ an’ den mebbe 
she fin’ her way back. Cats sutt’nly is onery about 
dat. Ne’ min’, we try an’ coax her to stay. I skeered 
yuh ain’t nuver get rid o’ dat one-eyeded ole cunjur 
cat. How many is yuh say dey is lef ’ ? ” 

“ There are only five now. Don’t you know some 
one who wants a nice cat ? ” 

I say nice. Nobody want dem leavin’s. Yuh has 
bit off mo’n yuh kin chaw, chile, when yuh say yuh 
fin’ homes fo’ all dat riffle raffle.” 

Penny sighed, but so persistent was she, and so 
lucky. Brownie said, that by the end of the week she 
had disposed of all the cats except the unfortunate 
“ one-eyeded ” one. She still had hopes even in this 
unpromising direction and finally she was rewarded. 


PENNY MAKES A SACEIFICE 


63 


“Are there none of Mr. Mason’s neighbors who 
would like the poor creature ? ” asked Mrs. Atwood 
when Penny went to her discouraged. 

“ Nobody.” The answer came with a sigh. “ You 
see, Mr. Mason wasn’t popular because he kept to 
himself and was so queer. You know the neighbor- 
hood was a very nice one once, but it isn’t any more, 
though his house is just on the edge of it and there 
are nice houses beyond. The neighbors thought him 
proud and eccentric, imagined he was a miser or some- 
thing, so he had no friends.” 

“ I see. Well, my dear, you must have patience and 
in the meantime the cat will not suffer, for you are 
very faithful in feeding it.” 

Then one day Penny came in triumphantly announc- 
ing: “ Old One Eye has a home, a real nice one.” 

“You don’t say so,” exclaimed her mother. 
“ Really, my dear, I never believed that would happen, 
and have been thinking the most. merciful thing would 
be to have him put out of the way. Tell me about it.” 

“ Well, it was this way: Just as I was going in the 
gate to feed old One Eye, I saw the nicest looking old 
Irish woman, so clean and comfortable looking, so I 
went up to her and asked her if she knew anyone 
who wanted a cat. She looked at me a minute and 
then she said with a brogue you could cut with a knife: 
‘ Is it a cat thin? It’s mesilf that wouldn’t moind, ef 
I loiked the baste.’ ” Penny was a good mimic. 
“ Then I told her about Mr. Mason and all that, and 


64 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


she was just as interested, and went in with me to 
find One Eye. As soon as she saw him she lifted up 
her hands and said: ‘ Wurra, wurra, look at the wan 
eye of it.^ Then I was afraid that would be an ob- 
jection, but it wasn’t, for when I asked her she said: 
'Would I be moindin’ a little thing loike that? I 
would not, for didn’t me own man, Mike O^Rourke, 
have but the wan eye, an’ a good man he was, an’ as 
good a shoemaker as if he’d three eyes in his head. 
I’ll take the baste and it’s Mike I’ll call him.’ ” 

" Oh, Penny, that doesn’t sound as if it could be 
true,” commented her mother. 

" But it is, every word of it,” Penny assured her. 
" So then she took off her shawl and we bundled up 
One Eye — Mike, I mean — in it, and I went with her 
to help in case he got obstreperous, but he didn’t; I 
think he was lonely and was glad of company. She 
has a ' nate little house ’ in one of those back streets 
near the market, and everything was as nice as pos- 
sible. We gave One — no, Mike, — the milk and meat 
I had brought for him and that is the end of the 
chapter.” 

"And quite an interesting one. I never saw such a 
child for adventures. I know what Brownie Burton 
will say.” 

" What?” 

" She will say: ' Isn’t that Penny’s luck to have that 
old woman come along at the psychological mo- 
ment? ’ ” 


PENNY MAKES A SACRIFICE 


65 


** I don’t think it was exactly luck ; it might have 
happened to anyone.” Which was true, in a sense, 
although Brownie maintained that it was quite outside 
of what might have been expected. 

“ Now that you are through with feeding cats you 
can just save your money for something else,” re- 
marked Brownie the next time the two girls met. 

“ Have you something special in mind ? ” asked 
Penny. 

“ Yes, I have. We’ve got to look out for that Bel- 
gian girl, you know.” 

“ Oh, Brownie, you don’t mean that we’ve got to 
support her.” 

‘‘ Not exactly that, but she has hardly a rag to her 
back, and everyone has been sending all they could 
spare to devastated France and those places so I 
doubt if there will be many left-overs, so what we can’t 
get in any other way we shall have to buy. Besides, 
she can’t stay where she is forever, and while we are 
looking for a permanent home for her she will have 
to be fed.” 

‘‘ Oh dear ! Here we’ve just settled poor old Mr. 
Mason, in fact we have not settled him, and here 
comes along this new thing.” 

“ But we knew about Louise Fallon before we ever 
heard of Mr. Mason.” 

“ That is true, but somehow he seems to belong to 
us by right of discovery. Where is this Louise? 
Have you seen her ? ” 


66 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“ She came day before yesterday and is staying with 
the Varneys, but she can’t stay there always. We shall 
see her this afternoon when our troop meets.” 

“At Miss Varney’s, isn’t it? I really do want to 
see the girl, and of course we must do all we can for 
her. I know Mother will help.” 

“ So will all the mothers, but they are all pretty 
busy. We thought when the war was over there 
would be nothing left to do, but there seems to be 
a plenty left. It will take a long time to get things 
back to where they were in France and Belgium, not to 
mention other places.” 

“ So I suppose we shall have to keep on making 
sacrifices. Well, I am willing.” 

After seeing little Louise Fallon that afternoon, and 
hearing her story there was not a girl in the Thistle 
Troop who was not ready to go to the limit in giving up 
all she could in order to help the young refugee, but 
no one, perhaps, made a greater sacrifice than Penny 
Atwood. She was very thoughtful as she walked 
home with Brownie, and the two parted soberly, Penny 
going directly home to seek out her mother, whom she 
found on the side porch with a basket of mending. 
The weather was still very mild, and the garden 
showed few signs of approaching autumn. 

Penny seated herself in the hammock, swinging 
gently back and forth as she watched her mother deftly 
darning a pair of Davy’s trousers. 

She was so long silent that her mother looked up 


PENNY MAKES A SACEIFICE 


67 


presently to ask: ‘‘Did you have a good meeting, 
daughter, and did you see the little Belgian girl we 
have heard about ? ” 

“We had a fine meeting, and, yes, Louise Fallon 
was there/' Penny lapsed into silence again. 

“ You're not very expansive, dear. What's the 
matter? " said her mother after a few minutes. “ Tell 
me about Louise. What is she like ? " 

“ She is small and pale with big dark eyes, such a 
sad little face, and no wonder. Think of it. Mother; 
her father was killed in battle, her mother died from 
cold and exposure after they had to flee from their 
home, which was burned to the ground. Her brother 
was taken prisoner and died in Germany, so she is all 
alone in the world. I didn't know anyone could have 
so much trouble." There was a little catch in Penny's 
voice as she spoke. 

“ It is sad, so very sad," murmured her mother, 
“ and we who have everything cannot do too much for 
those who have lost everything." 

“That is what Miss Varney says. Mother, are 
you and Father going to give me a new set of furs at 
Christmas? Please tell me." 

Her mother looked up in surprise at the sudden 
change of subject. “ Why, yes, dear, we thought of 
it. Why do you ask ? " 

“ They would cost a good deal, wouldn't they, even 
the cheapest kind ? " 

“ Yes, I suppose so." 


68 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


‘‘Then, would you just as soon give me the 
money ? ” 

“ Why, I don’t know. You need furs, I think. 
Yours are really quite shabby. I was looking at them 
the other day when I was unpacking our winter 
things.” 

“ Yes, I know they’re shabby, but they would keep 
me warm, which is the main thing, and think what 
the money would buy for Louise.” 

“ So that’s the idea.” Her mother laid down her 
work and looked at Penny with a tender smile. “ Well, 
I will talk to your father about it, and if you want to 
make the sacrifice I will not stand in your way. You 
must not decide too hastily. You mustn’t do anything 
and then regret it so you want to change your mind.” 

“ I have decided,” replied Penny firmly. “ I did on 
my way home, and I shall be ever and ever so much 
happier knowing that Louise is comfortable than if I 
paraded around in new furs when she hadn’t enough 
clothing.” 

“ I am very sure of that, dear child. Very well, I 
will speak to your father about it.” 

“And if he agrees could I have the money right 
away and would you help me buy the right things for 
Louise? You see she will need stockings and shoes, 
and shoes cost such a tremendous lot, then she ought 
to have a warm coat and warm underclothing.” 

“ But you couldn’t expect to provide her with every- 
thing.” 


PENNY MAKES A SACEIFICE 


69 


No, but I was just thinking of all the things she 
would need. Of course the other girls will help, and 
there will be a few left-overs. Have I any? ” 

'' Not many, I am afraid, for we have sent away 
all the things we could spare. I think there may be 
a hat.” 

ril tell you who ought to have things and that's 
Becky Cole; she fairly shoots her arms and legs out 
of her clothes. I never saw anyone grow so fast. I 
tell her she is an inch taller every time I see her.” 

It was no later than the next evening that Penny's 
father called her into the library. “ Well, daughter,” 
he said, “ I hear that you are asking for Christmas 
gifts in September. Isn't that a little previous?” 

“ It might be for furs,” responded Penny, ‘‘ but it 
isn’t for some other things.” 

“Automobiles, for instance. Well, here is what 
should buy you a set of furs.” He handed her a check. 

Penny looked at it and then fell back into a stuffed 
chair. “All that ! ” she cried. 

“ You didn't expect to get a set of furs for nothing, 
did you?” said her father smiling. “You might 
have, if you had used up all those old cats you have 
been so interested in.” 

“ Oh, Dad, as if I would do such a thing.” 

“ Oh, I didn't expect you to, and that is why I gave 
you this check.” 

Penny jumped up and flung her arms around her 
father's neck. “ Oh, but you are the dearest kind of 


70 


LUCKY PEKKY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


blessed old daddy. I am pleased all to pieces.’* Then 
she started to rush out to her mother but paused on 
the door-sill. ‘‘ Did Mother tell you what I want to 
do with it? I don’t want to pretend it is for furs 
when it isn’t.” 

“No pretending is called for,” her father assured 
her. “ I have all the inside information, so run along 
and do whatever your mother thinks best.” 

Waving her check high in air Penny ran to where 
her mother was. “ Look! Look! ” she cried. “ Did 
you know it was going to be such an awful lot? ” 

“ What is an awful lot? ” inquired her mother. 

“ Money, this check Father has just given me. To 
think you meant to give me such an expensive set 
of furs.” 

Her mother laughed. “ To tell you the truth, 
daughter, I have a notion that it wouldn’t have been 
so big if it had represented furs for you, but because 
of the real purpose your father stretched it a little.” 

Penny gazed at the check exultantly. “ Can we 
start right off to-morrow to do the shopping for 
Louise? We’d better take her with us, so she can 
be fitted properly.” 

“ Don’t you think it would be better to find out 
exactly what she needs ? There may be contributions, 
and we don’t want to duplicate.” 

“ That is so. Then I’ll call up Miss Varney and 
ask her to tell me what she is sure will be needed and 
we can start in with those. She has got to have shoes. 


PENNY MAKES A SACEIFICE 


71 


that I know, and underwear, I should think, stockings, 
too, for everybody wears out those things before they 
get too small for them” 

Her mother smiled at her eagerness. “You are 
mighty anxious to spend the money, aren’t you? I 
think Louise may be able to exist a few days with 
what she has now.” 

“ I suppose she could, but she would feel so com- 
fortable knowing that she had enough. If you were 
a little girl, a little refugee girl that hadn’t had any- 
thing new for ever so long, wouldn’t you be immensely 
pleased to get things ? ” 

“ Your argument is unanswerable. Go along and 
call up Miss Varney if you want to,” said Mrs. At- 
wood smiling. “ Bless the dear child,” she whispered 
as she watched Penny speed from the room. 

She was back again in a few minutes. “ Miss 
Varney will make a list, she says, and I am to go over 
for it to-morrow, and Louise can go shopping with 
us in the afternoon. She will need shoes certainly. 
Miss Varney told me, so we can get those anyhow 
even if we don’t get anything else. I’d hate to go 
around with shoes too big for me and all run over at 
the heels, and those are' what she has. You see. 
Mother, they fixed her up the best they could over 
there, and she came straight here as soon as she 
landed.” 

“ I understand, and I am very glad she is here and 
that we can help her.” 


72 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 


You see, Mother,” Penny sat down on a low chair 
and rested her elbows on her knees, her chin in her 
hands, ‘‘if it hadn’t been for the Girl Scouts she 
might not have come, but it was a friend of Miss 
Varney’s who used to be the Captain of a troop, who 
discovered her. This friend was working for the 
Red Cross or something, and she wrote to Miss Varney 
about Louise, then Miss Varney wrote back and told 
her that she could answer for her Girl Scouts and that 
she knew we would do everything in our power for 
Louise, so then this lady sent Louise here in charge 
of someone who was coming back.” 

“ I am very glad Miss Varney could answer for her 
Girl Scouts, for that means that my daughter, being 
one of them, is a person to be depended upon.” 

“We couldn’t be Girl Scouts unless we were to be 
depended upon. We’ve got to be kind and helpful, 
we’ve got to make ourselves trusted, and we’ve got to 
be a friend to all. We shouldn’t be playing fair if 
we did otherwise.” 

“ I am very glad my little girl understands the true 
spirit.” 

“ She wouldn’t be her mother’s little girl if she 
didn’t,” returned Penny laying her cheek caressingly 
against her mother’s hand. 

And then Davy came bouncing in, so the intimate 
talk stopped, but in spite of her sacrifice, or rather 
because of it. Penny went to bed that night a very 
happy girl with the pleasant anticipation of go- 


PENNY MAKES A SACEIFICE 


73 


ing shopping with her mother and Louise the next 
day. 

She was just ready to pop under the covers when a 
sudden thought came to her, so she slipped on a 
wrapper and slippers, stole down-stairs and peeped 
into the room where she had left her mother sitting. 
She was there still alone, and Penny crept cautiously 
in. “ Why, Penny,'’ exclaimed her mother, what is 
the matter ? ” 

“ Nothing except that I want to know if you can 
speak French very well.” 

“ That is a very funny thing to bring you down- 
stairs when you are all ready for bed. Why do you 
want to know ? ” 

“ I was just wondering what we would do about 
Louise, for you see she can speak scarcely any English, 
and I am afraid my French is worse than her Eng- 
lish.” 

“ I wouldn’t worry about that. I think we can 
make out. Certainly I shouldn’t let it keep me 
awake.” 

Well, I just couldn’t go to sleep till I knew how 
you felt about it.” 

‘‘ I feel quite equal to the emergency. Now run 
along or you will take cold.” 

“ Then kiss me another good-night and I’ll go toute 
suite. Is that right ? ” 

“ It will pass,” her mother told her with a kiss, and 
Penny sped up-stairs again. 


CHAPTER V 


ANTIQUES OF SEVERAL KINDS 
HE shopping expedition with Louise did not turn 



A out to be the joyous affair Penny had hoped it 
would be. The little stranger was painfully shy, 
would not express a preference for any one thing, and 
left everything to Mrs. Atwood's decision. Perhaps 
this was just as well, for she could be relied upon to 
exercise good judgment, consequently, while shoes, 
stockings and underwear were not very exciting pur- 
chases, Penny took all the pleasure she could in buy- 
ing them and paid the bill with great satisfaction, re- 
warded by seeing the first actual smile come over 
Louise’s face as she regarded her neatly shod feet. 

By the end of the week Louise was nicely fitted out, 
various half worn frocks, two or three sweaters, one 
or two hats were contributed, yet few persons had 
much left to give, and a neat blue serge suit was 
Penny’s crowning purchase. 

“ There’s just one more thing I want to do,” Penny 
told her mother, “ and that is to ask Louise to spend 
Christmas with us. You know the Varneys always go 


74 


A^fTIQUES OF SEYEEAL KINDS 


75 


to that married sister for their holidays, and besides 
there are no children in that family. Do you mind, 
Mother?” 

‘‘ Certainly not, and you might have a little holiday 
party for her.” 

“ Oh, Mother, that’s good, good. We can ask some 
of the boys and have a real jolly time, but, oh, dear, 
Louise hasn’t any party dress.” 

‘‘Never mind about that; something will be pro- 
vided, I am sure. Christmas is some time off, you 
know.” 

“ Yes, and school begins next week and we’ve still 
a lot to do for Mr. Mason.” 

“ Isn’t he well provided for ? ” 

“ For the present, yes, but there are all those things 
of his that must be thought of.” 

“ Why not leave them in the house ? ” 

“ That’s where they are, but you see it is this way: 
He has a small pension, for he was in the army, you 
know, but it really isn’t enough for him to live on, and 
he shouldn’t live alone, even if he were able to look 
after himself, which he isn’t. If the house were only 
fixed up he might rent it ; he won’t sell it while he lives, 
he says, and I really think, now that he is so much 
better, that he has a notion of going back there, but he 
shouldn’t do that, should he ? ” 

“ In my opinion he surely should not, but he is not 
a child and we cannot keep him from doing as he 
chooses.” 


76 LUCKY PENJYY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“If you had the planning for him what would you 
do?’’ 

“ Why, let me see. I shall have to think a little 
before I answer that.” 

Penny watched her mother deftly plying her knitting 
needles. She was making a sweater for Davy, and as 
she counted the rows it was evident that she was giving 
attention likewise to Penny’s question. After a while 
she looked up with a smile — a smile which brought 
confidence to Penny. 

“ Ready ? ” asked Penny. 

“ Yes, I think so. This is what I should do. You 
say there are some handsome pieces of antique fur- 
niture in the house.” 

“ Yes, but they look awful. The chickens have 
roosted all over everything, down-stairs.” 

“ In all the rooms? ” 

“ It looks so to me, but maybe up-stairs they 
haven’t.” 

“ Well, I should get that furniture in as good con- 
dition as possible and then sell it at private sale. With 
the money realized I should put the house in as good 
order as I could afford and then try to rent it. As I 
remember, it is very well built and would not need as 
much repair as the first glance would indicate. Of 
course it would not bring a high rent, but the amount 
added to the pension might pay Mr. Mason’s board in 
some quiet place, if he would be willing to do that way. 
A little fresh paint, some new panes of glass, repairs 


ANTIQUES OF SEVEEAL KINDS 


77 


on the roof, a thorough cleaning would make the house 
quite habitable and there are persons who might pre- 
fer it to a more modern one. I remember that it has 
a very good Colonial front door, and indeed the whole 
house has quite an air, or would have if it were not 
so run down.^’ 

Penny listened attentively, looking at her mother 
admiringly as she unfolded her plan. “ I think you 
are the most clever woman I ever saw,” she com- 
mented when her mother had finished. “ I don't be- 
lieve I could have thought of all that if I lived to be a 
thousand years old. Don’t you think I’d better talk 
it over with Mr. Mason and see what he says? 
Hurrah, Penny has a bright idea all her own! I’m 
going to get the Boy Scouts interested in fixing up 
that furniture. It would bring twice as much if it 
were in good order.” 

Of course it would. Score one for Penny. I see 
no objection to your talking it over with Mr. Mason. 
His mind has been so long in one rut that probably he 
never has thought of it.” 

‘‘Yes, poor old soul, he simply became more and 
more melancholy after his wife died, and didn’t care 
how things went. It’s no wonder, either, living there 
with not a human to speak to, and brooding over his 
loss. The more I talk to him the more I discover what 
a really intelligent man he is. I was telling him about 
Louise and he was much interested. He told me he 
had been to Belgium, and had travelled over nearly all 


78 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 

Europe. You would never have thought it, would 
you^? ” 

“ Scarcely, from what you have told me.” 

“ I am going to take Louise to see him. She will 
like to go when she knows he has been to her country. 
Mother, I am just thinking: Who will sell the fur- 
niture? We haven’t thought about that, have we?” 

“ No, we have not. We’d better find out whether 
he would be willing to sell it before we worry over 
that part. Some scheme will present itself, I haven’t 
a doubt.” 

And the scheme did present itself, for Mr. Mason 
was won ove** to see that Mrs. Atwood’s plan was a 
good one, although at first he would not consider it for 
a moment. However, the next time that Penny went 
to see him he told her that he had changed his mind. 

She found him in a wheeled chair sitting out upon 
an upper porch in the sunshine. “ Why, Mr. Mason,” 
she exclaimed, ‘‘ isn’t this fine ? I am sure you are 
going to get well.” 

“ I do seem to have fooled the doctors,” he replied, 

and I shall cumber the earth longer than they ex- 
pected, very likely. With a view to that I have been 
reconsidering that matter we were talking about the 
other day, about the furniture, you know. Why should 
I keep it? I cannot use it myself, and if others should 
value it why should not that satisfy me? So, my dear, 
if you will add this kindness to your many others, I 
shall be very glad to have you take the transaction in 


ANTIQUES OF SEVEEAL KINDS 


79 


hand. I will think over the matter of the house and 
we can talk of that later.'' 

“ I shall be very glad indeed to do what I can, al- 
though you see it was my mother’s idea." 

But how was it your mother interested herself to 
that extent ? ” 

'' Oh, I asked her if she were planning things for 
you what would she do ? " 

“ So then the idea did originate with my little friend, 
Penrose Atwood. I have wondered many times since 
I have been in this place why in the world it was that 
you should have been so kind and cordial to a miser- 
able old man who had given you occasion to think any- 
thing but well of him.” 

“ Oh, but I like you,” said Penny simply, “ and I 
think it is perfectly ghastly for anyone to be without 
friends. I really haven't done anything but come to 
see you a few times and bring you flowers that didn't 
cost anything.” 

‘‘ But whaf about my cats that you worked so hard 
to find homes for ? ” 

Oh, but I did that for the cats, not for you.” 

Mr. Mason leaned back and gave a little mirthful 
chuckle. It was the very first time Penny had heard 
from him anything approaching a laugh. “ Then, in 
the name of the cats, I thank you,” he said. “ I can 
never repay you and I'm afraid the cats cannot.” 

** Oh, but Tommy Thistle does. He is such fun, 
and Mrs. Gray has caught ever so many mice.” 


80 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 

** I am glad she has a sense of her obligations.” 

I suppose you will want to sell all the furniture, 
Mr. Mason.” 

“No, I think not,” he answered after a reflective 
silence. “ I cannot make up my mind to part with 
certain pieces. I will make a list of them and have it 
ready for you the next time you come.” 

So Penny went away feeling that she had accom- 
plished a good work. Her next step was to hunt up 
Rufus Marshall and Jesse Gale, for these two, she felt, 
had a common interest in the old house and its fur- 
niture, not to mention the owner himself. As good 
luck would have it she encountered the boys on her 
way home, and being full of her subject, was able to 
interest them, too. “ Gee ! ” cried Rufus, “ but that's 
a scheme. Of course we'll help, won’t we, Jess? ” 

“ Count on me,” replied Jesse. 

“And we’ll get the rest of the boys to come into the 
deal. If a whole lot of us get at it we can get the 
stuff cleaned up in short order. How are you going 
to sell it? ” Rufus was the questioner. 

“We haven't come to that part yet,” confessed 
Penny. 

“And how will you know what to ask for it ? ” 
queried Jesse. 

This was another thing Penny had not thought of, 
and she said so. 

“I'll tell you what,” suggested Jesse, “we can go 
around to the dealers of good stuff and find out their 


ANTIQUES OF SEVERAL KINDS 


81 


prices for the same sort of things and Ave can ticket 
ours accordingly.” 

“ Great head, Jess,” cried Rufus, knocking off 
Jesse's hat and rubbing the boy’s sleek head. “ The 
next thing is to think of some way of letting people 
know there is furniture to be sold and that it is the 
real thing, none of your fake stuff, of which there is 
so much on the market.” 

I didn’t realize that there were so many ends to 
this business,” declared Penny. “ I’m afraid I’m not 
a business woman.” 

** You’re not any kind of woman, just a real girl,” 
said Rufus teasingly. 

“ Well, if I am a girl I am glad I am a real one,” re- 
torted Penny, not to be teased. 

“ You are the genuine article, all right, all right,” 
declared Jesse. 

The three walked up the street together, discussing 
the best way to advertise the furniture, and finally they 
decided that they would put up notices in certain 
prominent places, that two boys should be in attend- 
ance on Saturday afternoons at the old house, out- 
side of which should be tacked up a big poster an- 
nouncing that rare old furniture would be placed on 
sale on Saturday afternoons. Having settled this 
Penny parted from her friends at her own gate and 
went in feeling that she had accomplished a good after- 
noon’s work. 

She gave Mr. Mason a detailed account of the plans 


82 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


when she went to him for the list of reserved fur- 
niture. She found him again out on the sunny porch. 

‘‘ It is wonderful, quite wonderful,” he declared 
when she had finished her recital. “ Please thank those 
fine fellows for me. Here is the list of those things 
I shall want to keep. You will see that there are 
some pictures, mostly portraits, upon the list. The 
rest can be disposed of, a few may be rather valuable. 
Then, my dear, there is a trunk in the attic which 1 
should like you to have. The contents may not be 
worth much to you, though you may find some things 
you may like to keep. Whatever is there is yours, the 
rest you can give away. If there is anything that little 
Belgian girl can use, please let her have it, after you 
have selected for yourself. The articles belonged to 
my dear wife, and there is no one to whom I would 
rather give them than you.” 

“ Oh, Mr. Mason,” said Penny, quite touched. “ I 
feel very, very much complimented that you should 
want me to have your wife’s things.” 

“ She would like you to have them, I feel very sure. 
I have not opened the trunk since I turned the key on 
it a month after she died, but the things were put away 
in camphor and should be in good condition. This is 
the key. The trunk is marked: Katharine Mason, and 
is the only one locked.” He handed Penny a small 
key which she took with the feeling of having received 
a legacy, and then she went away somewhat awed, 
rather excited, and altogether curious. 


ANTIQUES OF SEYEEAL KINDS 


83 


She was glad to come across Brownie before she 
reached home and was pleased that she had such a 
startling piece of news to tell. ‘‘ Isn’t it exciting ? ” 
she said. ** What do you suppose is in that trunk ? 
I am dying to see.” 

“ Oh, I imagine you will find only a lot of old-fash- 
ioned clothes. Of course Mr. Mason would value any- 
thing that belonged to his wife and can’t see why they 
wouldn’t be very acceptable to you.” 

This rather dampened Penny’s ardor, but she was 
none the less eager to behold the contents of the trunk. 
“ I’d like to go now,” she confessed, ‘‘ but it’s near 
supper time and it will be pokey in that old attic, be- 
sides I think I ought to tell Mother first.” 

“ But please do let me go with you when you do 
open it,” begged Brownie. Call me up to-morrow 
morning and tell me when you are going and I will 
meet you there at the house.” 

Penny agreed to this and went her way, telling her- 
self that one did not have to go far for excitements 
these days. She rushed up-stairs crying, Mother, 
Mother, where are you ? I have something exciting to 
tell you.” 

Mrs. Atwood answered from her room, and Penny 
did not delay in reaching her. “ What is the excite- 
ment?” asked Mrs. Atwood, looking up from the 
letter she was writing. 

“ Why, I have a legacy, at least it is a sort of legacy, 
for I never saw the person the things belonged to,” 


84 


LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


then she told her mother Mr. Mason’s wishes regard- 
ing the trunk, ending up with: “ Of course there may 
not be a thing I shall want, but it is sort of nice to 
think of looking them over. You won’t mind my hav- 
ing anything there that I really do want, will you, 
Mother?” 

I suppose not, though I warn you that an old 
lady’s belongings will scarcely prove very attractive to. 
a little girl.” 

‘‘ That’s about what Brownie said, but still one can 
never tell. Brownie wants to go with me to look the 
trunk over.” 

“ I think I’d better go, too,” said Mrs. Atwood 
thoughtfully, “ or, better still, have the trunk sent 
directly here.” 

“ Oh, Mother, do let us look it over first ; it will be 
so much more romantic to go up into that old attic; 
like a story-book.” 

“Are you sure it is safe ? ” 

“ Oh, yes, I think so ; there are stairs that go up. 
We explored it with the boys one day. That reminds 
me. Mother, the boys have offered to see to selling 
the furniture. Isn’t that fine? Things certainly are 
coming out beautifully.” 

She could scarcely wait till her mother should be 
ready to go with her the next morning. They found 
Brownie looking out for them and the three lost no 
time in getting around to the old house. Their way 
led through streets swarming with children, none too 


ANTIQUES OF SEVEEAL KINDS 


86 


clean, but once they had turned the corner respect- 
ability lay beyond. The boys’ good work was dis- 
played in a yard freed from rubbish, a house aired and 
set in some sort of order, though there was still much 
to be desired. 

“ Just wait till they get to painting it, and fixing up 
those broken windows,” said Penny, feeling a sort of 
ownership in the place which impelled her to make ex- 
cuses. 

They climbed the steep stairs into the cobwebby 
attic, which had not been touched by the boys. Dust 
lay over everything, and in the dim corners quaint ob- 
jects were only half visible. Here were queer old 
bandboxes stacked up, an old wooden cradle, a spin- 
ning wheel, a great loom, odds and ends of furniture, 
mostly broken pieces. The two girls went poking 
around, and finally came upon the trunk marked: 
“ Katharine Mason.” Penny took out her key and 
fitted it in the lock. It turned easily. 

“ This is it,” she announced. “ We’d better drag 
it out nearer the light,” she added excitedly. 

Brownie lent a willing hand and, as the trunk was 
not large, they soon had it over by the window, then 
all three fell to examining the contents. There was 
a strong odor of camphor when the lid was lifted, and 
they found the tray neatly packed. It disclosed an 
old-fashioned lace shawl, another Paisley one, some 
half-worn gloves, pieces of lace yellow with age, veils 
such as the girls had never seen, a couple of little 


86 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 

black silk aprons and, last of all, a box of old-fash- 
ioned trinkets. 

“ It seems almost sacrilegious to be turning over 
these things,’’ said Mrs. Atwood with a sigh. “ I can 
just imagine what that dear old lady was like.” 

But don’t you believe she would like her things 
used ? ” queried Brownie practically. “ I’m sure it is 
better that someone should have the good of them than 
that they should lie away here till they practically fall 
to pieces.” 

I dare say you are quite right,” returned Mrs. At- 
wood, ‘‘ but one cannot help having a momentary feel- 
ing of intrusion. Let’s see what is underneath.” 

Here they found more clothing, stout cotton night- 
gowns very ample as to width and elaborately trimmed. 

She must have been rather a little person,” com- 
mented Penny as she shook out one of the garments 
and held it up. I wonder what is in this package so 
carefully wrapped up and pinned.” 

“ It’s easy to find out,” remarked Brownie. 

Oh,” cried Penny as she freed a dress from its 
folds, “ isn’t that the dearest, floweriest, silkiest little 
frock? Mother, what sort of stuff is it made of? ” 

Mrs. Atwood examined it. ‘‘ I believe it is what 
they used to call silk tissue. I remember that my 
grandmother had a dress of it.” 

Penny sat looking it over admiringly, then sud- 
denly she clasped her hands and cried, Oh, Mother, 
you said there would be a way and this is it.” 


ANTIQUES OF SEVEEAL KINDS 


87 


“A way for what? Somehow I don’t see inside 
your mind,” returned her mother smiling. 

“ Why, don’t you know ? To get a party frock for 
Louise. This will just suit her and it can be made 
over for one of her Christmas gifts. You must not 
tell. Brownie, but Mother and I have a plan that we 
will relate to you later. Don’t you think it will be 
just the thing. Mother? ” 

“But why don’t you take it for yourself?” asked 
Brownie. “ I am sure it would suit you just as well 
as Louise.” 

“ Oh, but I have the Paisley shawl,” responded 
Penny, draping it around her young person, and draw- 
ing down the corners of her mouth, as she glanced at 
herself in a cracked mirror opposite. “ Besides, my 
young miss, we don’t know what else we may find. 
This goes to Louise all right, all right, so do the 
nightgowns,” she added with a chuckle. 

“ It gets more and more camphory the further down 
you go,” said Brownie as Penny dived into the depths 
of the trunk. “ What’s that? ” 

“ Don’t know,” returned Penny, bringing forth a 
large package. “ It feels quite soft. I think probably 
it is a coat.” She unfastened the paper in which the 
article was wrapped, peeped in and gave a little squeal. 
“ Look,” she cried, holding up a muff. 

“ Furs, as I live,” cried Brownie. “ Let’s see the 
rest.” 

Penny was busying herself in getting to a long 


88 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


tippet with many tails. “ Isn’t it funny ? ” she cried. 
“ Did you ever see anything such a queer shape ? But 
isn’t it pretty fur ? What kind is it, Mother ? ” 

It is what was called fitch, I believe, and it is cer- 
tainly very pretty. Well, dear, you are provided with 
furs in spite of yourself.” 

‘‘ Lucky Penny,” cried Brownie. ‘‘ Did ever any- 
one know such a piece of luck? ” 

Penny grinned. It was just as Brownie said, a 
piece of good luck. “ I am as pleased as Punch,” she 
declared, “ and I don’t care what else we find, whether 
it be bombazine dresses, or flannel petticoats or what.” 
These articles were exactly what she did find with 
other things of more or less value, the best being a 
pretty figured challis and some quaint sprigged mus- 
lins. At the very bottom of the trunk was a black coat 
of obsolete cut but of good material. 

‘‘ There,” announced Penny, “ that’s the last, and I 
am sure I shall not want that. What shall we do with 
it. Mother ? ” 

“ Just now the best thing to be done is to put every- 
thing back in the trunk. We will have it sent home 
and then we can make up our minds what is the best 
use to be made of everything.” 

“ Have you looked over that box of trinkets ? ” 
questioned Brownie. 

“ Not very carefully, but they are too old for me 
anyhow, and if ever I do use them it will be when I 
am grown up. Mother doesn’t like to see schoolgirls 


ANTIQUES OP SEVERAL KINDS 


89 


diked out with jewelry and ornaments, do you, 
Mother? ” 

'' Decidedly I do not, for I think it shows very bad 
taste. Lock the trunk. Penny, and we will go on. 
W e have spent more time here than I expected.” 

I suppose it will cost something to have those furs 
made over,” remarked Brownie on the way out. 

“ Yes,” replied Mrs. Atwood, “ but I think the muff 
will do as it is ; the lining is perfectly good, and I know 
a woman who will come in and alter the tippet, so it 
need not be a great expense and we are saved buying 
some other things and can afford it.” 

Penny gave her mother’s arm a squeeze. “ You are 
always such a comforter,” she whispered. 

Her mother smiled down upon her. “ You will 
have a very nice set of furs, my dear.” 

Penny did have a handsome set of furs, as it turned 
out, and so voluminous was the tippet that it served 
to make a little muff and a small neckpiece for Louise, 
too, much to Penny’s satisfaction, for this added to 
the list of Christmas gifts to be given to the little 
stranger. 


CHAPTER VI 


DOTS AND DASHES 


PARTY of girls and boys were sitting on the 



jLjL Atwoods' side porch busily engaged in prepara- 
tions for a fancy dress party which the Girl Scouts 
were to give the Boy Scouts. The boys were doing 
the mechanical parts while the girls did the sewing. 

“ How's that for a helmet? " asked Rufus, holding 
up a pasteboard affair. “ Where's the silver paint ? 
Hand it over, Jess. Do you think it looks all right? ” 

Jesse regarded the helmet critically. “ Try it on," 
he suggested. 

Rufus did so and raised a laugh, for the helmet 
completely extinguished him. “ Have to take a reef 
in it," he decided, taking out his knife. 

Penny laid down a tinselled robe to watch him. 
“ Isn't it funny," she said, ‘‘ that boys always use 
knives where girls use scissors ? " 

“ It isn't any funnier than a lot of other things," 
returned Rufus. 

‘‘ What a banal speech," remarked Becky Cole, 
tipping her head to one side as she held off a bodice 
at arm's length. 


90 


DOTS AND DASHES 


91 


“ Banal,” repeated Rufus contemptuously. “ It 
makes me tired the way some people get hold of a new 
word and air it upon all occasions.” 

“ I didn't know that banal was a new word,” re- 
turned Becky calmly. I fancied it was incorporated 
into the French language some time ago.” 

Rufus looked across at Jesse and winked one eye 
then the other in a meaning manner. Jesse winked 
back in something the same way, then both boys 
laughed. 

Penny watched them with an expression half 
puzzled, half interested. '' Oh, stop your scrapping,” 
she cried. You and Becky always have to argue 
when you get together, Rufus. You remind me of 
that old man down at the blacksmith’s shop on Main 
Street. I believe he just lives to argue.” 

“ Oh, that old chestnut,” returned Rufus. “ He 
is quite a character. I believe he must be the oldest 
inhabitant, and yet he can do quite a lot of work. He 
helps Andy for a while and then he goes out and leans 
against a tree watching for someone to come along 
and argue with him.” 

“ Beneath the blacksmith’s spreading tree 
The village chestnut stands,” 

put in Brownie quietly. 

Everyone laughed. “That sounds just like Brown,” 
said Jesse. “ Here, who’ll lend me a needlewoman’s 
hand with a plumed bonnet? If I am to be a High- 


92 


LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


lander it will never do to have my plumes drooping 
the wrong way.” 

Brownie offered her help and the work went 
steadily on with much laughter, many jokes and some 
sparring till it was time for the party to break up. 
Brownie was the last to go. “ Do you know,” Penny 
whispered to her when the others were out of hearing, 
“ I believe those boys have some sort of signs or code 
or something. I watched them and I am sure of it.” 

“ Morse code, of course,” Brownie decided immedi- 
ately. How did you think they were using it ? ” 

“ With their eyes. One would wink with one eye 
two or three times, then with both eyes, then with one 
or the other eye, then there would be an answer from 
the other boy. Oh, I am sure of it. Now I mean to 
learn that code, for I don’t mean to have them saying 
things we can’t make out.” 

“ Good scheme. I’ll learn, too, and we can use it 
and fool them in the same way. Don’t tell anybody.” 

“ Not I. Let’s begin right away to learn.” 

“ That will suit me. We can telegraph with our 
hands as well as our eyes, and it will be lots of fun.” 

“ I’d like to begin this afternoon, but there are 
those costumes to finish and lessons to learn.” 

“And to-morrow is the great day of the home-com- 
ing. We’ll have to put it off till that is over and the 
party, too, then we’ll pitch in. Don’t forget to come 
early to-morrow.” 

She went off and Penny returned to the porch where 


DOTS AND DASHES 


93 


she found Rilly examining the dress to be worn at the 
party. ‘‘ What all dish yer spingly spangly stuff ? ” 
inquired Rilly. 

“It’s what I am going to wear to a party we girls 
are going to give the Boy Scouts,” Penny told her. 

“ Humph ! ” Rilly viewed it with semi-amusement. 

“ Looks lak one o’ dese yer circus ladies ! Is yuh 
gwine horseback ? ” She chuckled at the idea. 

“ No, of course not. This will have a long train, 
so,” Penny held up the dress, “ and I’ll wear a sweep- 
ing veil fastened to a pointed head-dress.” 

“ Jes lak a bride.” Rilly was beginning to be in- 
terested. 

“Not exactly, but something like. I just love the 
train ; it looks so distinguished.” 

“Ain’t it de troof now? It sho do look extin- 
guished.” Rilly regarded Penny with admiration as 
she gave a demonstration of how the train would be 
worn. “ What Miss Brownie w’ar? ” 

“ She is going as a gipsy and Becky Cole as a Span- 
ish girl. Rufus Marshall is going to dress as a 
knight.” 

“ Black, dark night ? ” 

“ No, not that kind of night, the kind that delivers 
lovely ladies from cruel captors.” 

Rilly did not in the least understand this, but not ‘ 
wishing to display her ignorance merely nodded as if 
she quite comprehended, and asked, “ Is Davy gwine 
dress up, too ? ” 


94 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 
No, he is too little.” 

^‘AinT he gwine to de party at all ? ” Rilly was 
quite concerned for her favorite. 

“ No, for there will not be any but big boys there, 
and big girls.” 

“ Humph ! ” Rilly walked off with a toss of the 
head, no longer interested in a party to which Davy 
was not invited. 

However, the next evening when Penny was arrayed 
in all her splendor and Brownie in her gipsy dress 
called for her, Rilly looked them both up and down, 
and gave her opinion as soon as the door closed after 
them. ‘‘ Miss Penny, she look fine, but t’other one 
she looked tacky.” And, to tell the truth, poor little 
Brownie never could carry off dress with any kind of 
good effect or style; nevertheless, she always had a 
good time, better than most girls who were more 
conscious of their appearance. 

The party was, as the newspaper reported it, “ a 
most enjoyable affair,” but it was eclipsed by the 
rollicking entertainment given to the returned soldier 
boys. To this Davy was permitted to go, thus salving 
Rilly’s feelings: That home-coming occasion was a 
great day, and the Girl Scouts felt that they had a 
large part in it. They stepped along valiantly in the 
parade, passed numberless dishes of ice-cream and 
plates of cakes to the returned soldiers, helped to wash 
dishes, to decorate the hall where the reception took 
place, joined in the songs, and altogether made them- 


DOTS AND DASHES 


95 


selves useful, and ornamental as Penny would have it. 
And indeed they were ornamental in their neat uni- 
form, with bright young faces smiling under their 
hats. If a Girl Scout must be always cheerful, surely 
upon this occasion it was not a very difficult task. 

After this big event the town settled down into its 
usual quiet, the girls devoting themselves to their 
studies. Penny and Brownie giving such time as they 
could to the Morse code. The boys were planning 
some sort of entertainment in return for the girls’ 
hospitality, and there were many conjectures as to 
what it might be. Those who professed to know de- 
clared it was to be a Hallowe’en party, while others 
announcing that they knew quite as much about it, as- 
serted that it was to be an outdoor entertainment, for 
the weather was still warm enough for it. 

Meanwhile there were many matters of interest to 
occupy the thoughts of the girls of Thistle Troop. 
There were many ready to enter the Tenderfoot class 
and for these uniforms must be provided. There was 
a big rally when all the troops in the town came to- 
gether to discuss ways and means, and it was decided 
that some sort of money-making scheme must be 
adopted. One suggested a carnival, another a con- 
cert, a third a bazaar. Finally this last found the 
greatest favor, for, said Brownie Burton shrewdly, 
“people are always ready to buy foolish things for 
Christmas as well as sensible ones.” Each troop was 
to have a booth where as many attractions as could be 


96 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 


devised might be offered. Of course this started up 
big ambitions immediately, as there was not a Girl 
Scout in town who didn't want her booth to out- 
shine all the others. It was at the first meeting of 
Thistle Troop, after the big rally, that the girls were 
so brimming over with enthusiasm and had so many 
ideas to put forth that Miss Varney decided that noth- 
ing short of a committee could attend to the schemes 
offered. 

“ You are too much for one solitary female,” she 
told them. “ I never knew such active minds. Even 
with our lieutenant and patrol leader I don’t think we 
can cope with you, and I shall call upon some out- 
siders to lend their judgments. Now let each girl in 
Thistle Troop decide upon some attractive feature, pre- 
sent her plan to me and I will consult the committee, 
for if two heads are better than one a number of heads 
should be better than two. Now go to work.” 

I know what I’d like to have,” said Penny as she 
and Brownie passed out of the room with heads close 
together, ** I’d like to have a telegraph apparatus, and 
get people to send their telegrams from our booth. 
They would be willing to pay a little extra and we 
could have the profits.” 

“ Do you think we could work that all right ? ” said 
Brownie thoughtfully. “ We’d have to be pretty ex- 
pert in the first place, and in the second place we 
mightn’t be able to get the thing set up, wires and all 
that ; it would be rather expensive, wouldn’t it ? ” 


DOTS AND DASHES 


97 


Penny was silent for a moment, then she broke out 
with Wireless ! Wireless ! Why can’t we have a 
wireless ? Roy Harlan has one in his back yard. He 
knows all about it, and Fm sure he’d put one up for 
us, and send messages too, if we wanted him to, though 
I’d rather we’d do that part ourselves. I’ll see him 
right away.” 

“ I believe you have struck a novelty. Pen,” said 
Brownie in a satisfied tone. “We might get Roy to 
explain the workings to those who are curious, and to 
help us out if we should get mixed up in sending mes- 
sages, but we must keep it dark, for we don’t want 
anyone else to get ahead of us.” 

“ I don’t mean anyone shall, for I shall lose no time 
in seeing Roy and I know he’ll do all he can; he’d 
love to.” 

Suddenly Brownie began to dance up and down, 
clasping her hands and shaking them ecstatically. 
“ I’ve thought of something else ! I’ve thought 
of something else,” she cried. “ Goody ! Goody ! 
Goody! ” 

“ Tell me, tell me quick.” 

“ Dan Patten’s aeroplane. I believe he would take 
up passengers for so much and give us the proceeds. 
It doesn’t go very far up, but so much the better. He 
made it himself, you know, but they say it is .per- 
fectly safe. If that wouldn’t be an attraction, I don’t 
know what would.” 

“Oh, Brown, it would be perfectly splendid. I 


98 


LUCKY PEKKY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


think you are awfully clever to have thought of it. 
Shall we go to see the boys on our way home ? ” 

Brownie considered this for a moment before she 
answered. I donT like the idea of our running after 
boys even for a matter of business. I think it would 
be better if we were to call them up and ask if they 
will stop at my house this evening. You call up Roy 
and ril call up Dan. We won't explain exactly, but we 
will ask them if they are willing to help us make the 
bazaar a success, and that will spur them on." 

‘‘You are so clever," returned Penny admiringly, 
‘‘ so diplomatic. I would never have thought of any- 
thing like that." 

“ Perhaps not," Brownie acknowledged, but you 
would have tumbled into something quite as good with- 
out thinking; you always do." 

The boys responded with alacrity to the call for 
help, and there was a great powwow at Brownie's 
house that evening. Roy confessed that it would be 
something of a job to rig up a wireless, but declared 
himself very ready to attempt it. 

“ It's a corking good idea," he said. “ I wonder 
some of us haven't thought of it before. Where are 
you going to have the bazaar? " 

“ It isn't quite decided," Brownie told him. “We 
shall want plenty of room and a place we can get 
cheap, if we can't get it for nothing." 

“Why not use the old Mason house?" Dan spoke 
up. “ You could throw all those big rooms into one, 


BOTS AND DASHES 99 

and there would be lots of space in that yard for a 
wireless.” 

“Boy, you’ve spoken,” cried Roy. “We’ve sold 
off most of the furniture, you know, and the rest could 
be stored in one of the upper rooms. You could use 
some of those, too, for your various departments if 
you find you need them.” 

“ That’s truly a royal scheme,” exclaimed Penny, 
at which speech the boys groaned, although Penny 
protested that she didn’t mean to make a pun. “ I’ll 
see Mr. Mason to-morrow,” she declared. 

“ Better consult Miss Varney first,” Brownie 
warned. “We can’t carry all this off with a high 
hand, you know. We’ve got to submit our ideas to 
her and she talks them over with the committee, so we 
don’t know whether we can even have the wireless or 
the aeroplane.” 

Brownie’s common sense remarks rather subdued 
the enthusiasm, and after this they talked possibilities 
rather than actualities. 

It was well that they did not count too much upon 
the success of their schemes, for though after discus- 
sion, Penny’s idea of the wireless was adopted. 
Brownie’s idea of aeroplane flights was entirely set 
aside. It was not to be thought of, the committee de- 
cided. “A home-made machine with an amateur 
aviator, why, my dear, there would surely be an acci- 
dent, and we could not be responsible for such risks,” 
Miss Varney told the crestfallen Brownie. “ It is 


100 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


too bad that we must veto your plan, but I am sure 
you will see that it is not a safe one/' 

So poor Brownie retired quite cast down, and de- 
jectedly reported the decision to Dan who had worked 
himself up into quite a state of enthusiasm over the 
project. He had expected to win laurels for himself 
as well as to add to the gains of the Girl Scouts, but 
seeing that Brownie felt worse about it than he did he 
tried his best to cheer her up. 

“ I reckon after all it is best," he said, “ for sup- 
posing there were an accident and the plane went 
wrong rd reproach myself for the rest of my life, sup- 
posing I escaped being killed myself. Why, even the 
best of aviators have accidents, you know." 

So Brownie was comforted, and realized that hers 
had been rather a wild scheme after all. “ But here I 
am left high and dry," she mourned, “ and haven't 
an idea to offer." 

“ Oh, you’ll think of something," returned Dan con- 
solingly. “ What's the matter with having a photo- 
graph gallery? You can take dandy photographs and 
we boys can help you develop them." 

'' Oh, Dan, you have saved my life," cried Brownie. 
“Of course I could do that. I have an awfully good 
camera, really I have, and we could fix up a very at- 
tractive place in one of those upper rooms where there 
is a good light, or could even take them out-of-doors. 
You are a perfect dear to have thought of it and to 
offer to help. I know Miss Varney will approve." 


DOTS AND DASHES 


101 


“ ril be the gent who takes the orders, if you say 
so,” continued Dan, pleased at this reception of his 
suggestion. 

“ You are an angel without wings,” replied Brownie, 
ril let you know just as soon as possible what the 
committee say. I told you, didn’t I, that they were 
mightily pleased at the idea of using the Mason house ? 
Pen saw Mr. Mason and he was perfectly delighted 
at the idea of giving it for the purpose. He won’t 
take a cent for it, and said that it was a small return 
for all that had been done for him by the Scouts, so 
that is settled.” 

Fine and dandy,” responded Dan heartily. It 
looks to me as if you would have a big success.” 

And a big success it was. One could scarcely have 
believed that so much originality would be displayed 
by a group of girls. The Thistle booth was par- 
ticularly pretty. Monica Mcllvaine, who was espe- 
cially clever in designing, made the decorations of 
thistles which were stencilled upon the draperies, and 
appeared upon artistic posters. Rena Mills contributed 
thistle shades for the lights. Penny’s telegraph of- 
fice was very popular, but even more so was Brownie’s 
photograph gallery. Tommy Thistle presided over a 
cage of catnip mice, himself occupying the other half 
of the cage which was partitioned off for his use. It 
is needless to say that not a mouse was left unsold 
when the affair was over. Vendors of various wares 
wandered about the big rooms. There were those who 


102 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


sold pop-corn, those who sold bottles of vanilla extract, 
hair tonic, baking powder, fudge, and many other 
home-made products. Indeed, it was quite wonderful 
that so many ingenious methods of making money had 
been devised. 

‘‘ Still Fm mighty glad it’s over,” said Penny when 
the last telegram had been sent, and she sank down 
wearily on a rustic bench in Brownie’s photograph gal- 
lery. ‘‘ It’s been lots of fun and I’ve enjoyed every 
minute, but I’m dead tired.” 

“ My work is only just begun,” sighed Brownie. 
“All these prints to be made and sent off.” 

“ But we’ll all help,” declared Dan, coming over 
with two or three of the other boys. 

“We will that,” Roy Harlan put in. “ You needn’t 
fall down on your job for lack of help, Brown. We’re 
no I. W. W.’s, and we don’t care how many extra 
hours we put in, do we, boys ? ” 

“You bet your sweet life we don’t,” Rufus an- 
swered. 

“ Well, I can just tell you this,” said Brownie grate- 
fully, “ when your turn comes you will find us Girl 
Scouts to the fore ready to help you.” 

“ That’s the talk,” said Rufus. “ Now is the time 
for all good men to come to the aid of the party, as 
the typewriters have it. I say, that was a good scheme 
of Becky Cole’s to have a typist corner and write 
letters. She says she did mighty well. You Thistles 
certainly showed originality.” 


DOTS AND DASHES 


103 


“We did have some good ideas,” said Penny 
modestly. “ What is it, Davy ? More ice-cream ? I 
don’t see how you can eat it. I think you must have 
consumed twenty-four cones in the past twenty-four 
hours.” 

“ But it’s awfully warm work being messenger boy,” 
complained Davy, “ and you said if I would deliver the 
telegrams I should have all the ice-cream I wanted.” 

“ But I’m afraid you will be ill.” 

“ Oh, no, he won’t,” Rufus assured her. “ The 
capacity of a small boy for ice-cream is unlimited, and 
I never saw one the worse for it. Come along, Davy ; 
I believe I could manage another cone myself.” 

“Why not all of us indulge?” remarked Dan 
Patten. “ It’s on me, Jess. You girls sit here if you 
are tired and we’ll bring you the cones.” 

“ What would we have done without those boys ? ” 
said Brownie as they went off. “ Dan has been my 
right hand man, always so jolly and alert. I never 
could have had half so many orders but for him.” 

“And Roy has been just as good to me. He knows 
the code like a book and when I got rattled he was 
always there to help me out. I feel as if my brain 
were a record of nothing but dots and dashes, but it’s 
been splendid practice, and I can wink messages from 
henceforth without half trying.” 

It was not long before she was able to put her 
powers to the test, for presently two boys sauntered in 
and sat down near by. The girls knew them, though 


104 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


not very well. “ Weren’t Dan Patten and Roy Harlan 
in here a little while ago ? ” asked one of the boys. 

'‘Yes/’ Penny told them, “but they have gone to 
get us some ice-cream.” 

“ Then they are coming back.” 

“We hope so,” Penny answered with a laugh. 

The boy looked across at his friend and began a 
series of winks which were answered in turn. Penny 
regarded them watchfully. Just then the other boys’ 
returning footsteps were heard upon the stairs, and 
the two who had been questioning Penny arose and 
went toward the door. But Penny was before them. 
“ No, you don’t,” she cried. “ Watch the lights, 
Brownie ! ” And before the two invaders could carry 
out their plan of turning off the lights and grabbing 
the ice-cream cones from the returning boys Penny 
had warned them : “ Look out, Dan ! Look out, 
Roy ! The Huns are upon you ! ” 

Without understanding exactly what she meant 
those bearing the cones ran down-stairs again, Brownie 
relighted the gas jets and the jokers were nonplussed. 

“ When you want to send telegraphic messages don’t 
do it with your eyes,” Penny advised. “ There may 
be others around who understand the code as well as 
you.” 

“ It was only a joke,” said Warren Kirk, the eldest 
of the boys. 

“Not a very complete one. I’m glad you’re not 
Boy Scouts,” said Penny severely. 


DOTS AND DASHES 


105 


‘'We didn’t mean any harm. Can’t you take a 
joke? ” said Warren. 

“ Not when it deprives me of a much needed cone 
of ice-cream,” replied Penny, dimpling. 

“ Oh, well ” Warren began lamely, but he did 

not finish his remark as his companion interrupted by 
saying: 

“Ah, come on, Warren. What’s the use of hang- 
ing around here ? There’s nothing to see and nothing 
to do. I’m going home.” 

“A very wise decision,” remarked Penny with cool 
politeness. And the two departed, making way for 
the other boys who now came back with the ice-cream. 

“ What was the row ? ” asked Roy. 

Penny told him. 

“ Just like that pair,” said Dan disgustedly. 
“ They’re always up to some foolish trick. They 
thought that would be funny, but this is no time nor 
place to rough house. I should think they would 
know better. I’m glad you spotted their joke.” 

“ It’s one on them,” said Jesse, who, with Rufus, 
had also come in to join the group. “ I’ll bet they 
were surprised,” he added laughing. 

“ I sho’ am glad,” replied Penny nibbling her cone. 
“ I must tell Rilly about it. She just dotes on that 
kind of tale, and is always talking of persons who try 
to ‘undermine’ her. What’s going on down-stairs, 
boys? They are folding their tents like the Arabs, 
I suppose.” 


106 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


That’s about the size of it,” Dan told her. ‘‘Are 
you going to shut up shop, Brownie ? ” 

“ Might as well. The show’s about over, and we 
can come to-morrow and clear up.” 

“ That’s where the little Boy Scouts get in their 
solid work,” said Rufus. “ We’ll be on hand to do 
the manual labor.” 

And so the bazaar was ended, Tommy Thistle was 
borne home triumphantly, the lights were put out and 
the old house left to the few little mice that were not 
of the variety to be sold, but who scampered through 
the silent rooms feasting on such crumbs as had been 
left for their gleaning. 


CHAPTER VII 


LOUISE AND THE QUEEN 

P ENNY was sure of a merit badge for her knowl- 
edge of the Morse code, while Brownie expected 
honors for her skill in photography. The girls were 
working hard for the badges they must earn before 
becoming first class scouts and were hoping another 
year would see them promoted to this rank. 

Little Louise Fallon, who was still with Miss 
Varney, had passed her Tenderfoot test and was very 
proud of having become a real Girl Scout. She was 
learning English rapidly, though she still made funny 
mistakes at which she was as ready as anyone to laugh 
when they were explained to her. The hunted ex- 
pression was leaving her eyes and the forlorn droop of 
her mouth was now more frequently changed to a 
smile. The question of her future was still undecided, 
but meantime she was very welcome in Miss Varney's 
home, and the happy association with girls of her 
own age was rendering dimmer those tragic memories 
which haunted her days and nights in the earlier weeks 
of her arrival. 

107 


108 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 

“ There are many things I do not understand/^ she 
confided to Penny one day when the two were out for 
a walk. “What is this I see: ‘No trees passing'? 
It is so strange, this. I am much puzzle over this." 

“ What do you mean? " said Penny, puzzled on her 
own part. “ Where do you see that? " 

“ Many time I see. I show you. Perhap we en- 
counter this bimeby, then I show." They walked on 
for a short distance then suddenly Louise caught 
Penny's arm. “ It is there. You see, on that wall ? 

Penny looked and then burst out laughing. “ You 
dear, funny Louise," she cried, “ it is not trees pass- 
ing, but trespassing, and it means you are not to go 
on that person's grounds without permission." 

“Ah-h ! " Louise began to laugh, too. “ I am a 
stupid, am I not? I think this something so strange, 
and it is not so at all. Nevair mind, one day I learn. 
Where is it we go now ? " 

“ I thought we would go to some greenhouses a little 
out of town. I want to get some flowers for my 
mother's birthday. We can get such lovely fresh ones 
at the place I speak of, cut right from the stem." 

“ I like this we are to see the greenhouse. The 
flower so beautiful. You give me many pleasure, 
you do.” 

“ I wish I could give you more. I will tell you, 
Louise, what I should like to do ; I should like to take 
you to see the king and queen, your king and queen, 
and the young duke who are now in this country.” 


LOUISE AND THE QUEEN 


109 


“ I, too, would like this more than anything, but I 
must not complain for I have many thing I do not 
think to have. It would be a great pleasure, yes, but 
it is hopeless to wish for they do not come to our 
town.” 

“ No, but they might pass through even if they do 
not stop. We will find out and we could go to the 
station and perhaps catch a glimpse of them. We 
can go around that way on our way back from the 
greenhouse, and ask when they are expected.” 

“ Oh, my Penny, would you do that? ” 

“ Why, certainly. Why not ? It may do no good, 
but then we might happen to find out.” 

The end of their walk brought them to the green- 
houses, damp, sweet smelling places where gracious 
roses, royal chrysanthemums, brilliant geraniums were 
reigning. It was hard to choose, but Penny finally 
settled upon some gorgeous chrysanthemums which, 
she decided, would last longer than anything else, and 
these she bore away well satisfied. They will look 
lovely on Mother’s desk,” she told Louise. 

“ They would look lofely anywhere,” returned 
Louise heartily. 

They turned their faces toward the town, but in- 
stead of taking the route which led directly to her 
home Penny steered toward the railway station. ‘‘ Oh, 
what a crowd ! ” she exclaimed as they approached the 
platform. “ There must be a wedding party or some- 
thing. Let’s hurry up, Louise. Maybe we’ll see the 


110 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


bride.” As a bride is always a person of interest to 
any girl of any nationality wherever she may be, 
Louise hastened her steps. 

But there seemed to be no one upon whom the cen- 
tral interest appeared to be fixed when the girls found 
themselves a part of the crowd. All were looking up 
the track for some approaching train. 

‘‘ I wonder where everyone is going,” remarked 
Penny. '‘There must be a fair or something, although 
it is pretty late in the day to be starting off. Pm go- 
ing to ask the policeman.” Penny was never back- 
ward in using her tongue when there was an object 
to be gained. She worked her way to where the tall 
policeman was keeping adventurous persons from 
crowding the tracks. “ Will you please tell me what 
is going on ? ” she asked. " Why is there such a 
crowd ? ” 

The policeman smiled down at her good-naturedly. 
" Why, don’t you know the king and queen of Bel- 
gium are coming along presently in their special train? 
It may stop for a few minutes and these people are 
hoping to catch a sight of the royal party.” 

" Oh, oh, oh ! aren’t we lucky ? ” cried Penny. 
“Louise, did you hear? We are just in time to see 
your king and queen. They are coming this way.” 

Louise clasped her hands and the tears came to her 
eyes. “ My king ! My queen ! ” she murmured. 
“ Do you think we shall really see them ? ” 

“ Oh, I do hope so,” returned Penny earnestly. 


LOUISE AND THE QUEEN 


111 


** There is an awful crowd, to be sure, but we will 
try to get nearer.” She turned again to the burly 
policeman. “ Do you think we could get nearer to the 
tracks ? ” she asked. “ This little girl is a Belgian 
refugee. Her father was killed in the war and her 
mother died from cold and hunger. Some friends 
brought her over here and expect to find a home for 
her. It would mean such a lot to her if she could 
see her king and queen. Could you help us to get 
through the crowd so we could be close to the train 
when it comes along ? ” 

The man looked at Louise with new interest. “You 
bet your life I can get you as close as you want to be,” 
he said firmly. “ Come along.” 

“ Keep close to him,” Penny whispered to Louise. 
“ Take hold of his coat tails, if necessary.” She 
pushed Louise forward, taking second place herself. 

With a shout of, “ Here, clear the way ! ” the 
policeman managed to pilot the two girls through the 
increasing throng, reaching the edge of the platform 
just as the train came thundering along. “ Stand 
back I Stand back ! ” cried the policeman as the people 
pressed forward. “ Keep close to me,” he said in an 
undertone to the two girls, as he used his stalwart arms 
to force back the eager company. 

The train slowed up, stopped, and on the platform 
of the special car stood the queen. “ There she is, 
sis,” said the policeman, one eye on Louise and one on 
the too adventurous crowd. 


112 LUCKY PEKKY OP THISTLE TROOP 


“ Speak to her ! Speak to her ! Penny whispered 
eagerly. She tore the wrappings from her chrysan- 
themums. “ Here, give her these. Quick ! Quick ! 
She thrust the flowers into Louise’s hands, and pushed 
her forward. 

“ Madame, Madame, my queen, I am Belgian,” 
quavered Louise, holding up the flowers. 

The queen leaned out, but being a little woman she 
could not quite reach the flowers, which Louise, stand- 
ing on tiptoe, tried in vain to hold up high enough for 
her to grasp. 

Then suddenly the little Belgian girl felt herself 
lifted up in a pair of strong arms so her face was on a 
level with the queen’s, and sovereign and subject looked 
into each other’s eyes. The flowers were taken into 
the queen’s hands, Louise felt a light kiss upon her 
forehead, a tender voice murmured: ‘‘ Thank you, my 
child.” Then the train sped on. 

Louise felt herself gently lifted down to the plat- 
form, and looking up with swimming eyes, she saw 
the policeman smiling down at her. “ Worked that 
pretty slick, didn’t we? ” he said. 

Louise caught his big hand and laid her wet cheek 
against it. I thank you, a thousand times I thank 
you,” she said brokenly. “ Nevair, nevair shall I for- 
get this kindness. She kissed me! You saw she 
kissed me! Such a wonderful thing to remember all 
my life, and you, you it was who was so kind, so good 
as to give me this great good fortune.” 


LOUISE AND THE QUEEN 


113 


‘'Ah, that’s all right,” said the embarrassed man. 
“ That was easy. Glad to accommodate ye.” And 
he moved oil without allowing Louise a chance to say 
another word. 

She was quivering with excitement when she turned 
to Penny, almost sobbing with emotion. “ You saw, 
you saw,” she said in a trembling voice. 

“Wasn’t it fine?” returned Penny enthusiastically. 
“ I think that policeman is a Jim Dandy. I was so 
afraid the queen couldn’t reach the flowers. I’d just 
like to hug him, only I don’t suppose he’d like it,” she 
added. “ Did you see the king, too ? He came to the 
platform of the car just as the train was moving off. 
I waved my handkerchief and he took off his hat, not 
to me especially, of course, for everybody was shout- 
ing and waving handkerchiefs.” 

“ I saw him, too, but the queen, the queen, she 
kissed me,” murmured Louise, forgetting all else in 
this great fact. 

It was not till they had gone part of the way toward 
home that Louise suddenly came down to earth when 
she remembered that Penny had given up the flowers 
which were intended for her mother. She stopped 
short with a little cry of dismay, clasping her hands 
in the way she so frequently did. “Oh, Penny, my 
Penny,” she exclaimed, “you have given me your 
flowers, and now you have none for your mother. 
How I am an ungrateful ! ” 

“ Oh, never mind,” responded Penny nonchalantly. 


114 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


‘‘ I can get flowers any day in the year for Mother, 
but it is only once in a lifetime that one has the pleasure 
of getting them for a queen.” 

“ But it was not you who gave them,” protested 
Louise, still dissatisfied. 

“ Why, yes, I did. I gave them to you to give to 
the queen and so long as she has them it amounts to 
the same thing,” returned Penny magnanimously. 

“ But now you have nothing for your mother, and 
that makes me very sad.” 

‘‘ Don’t you bother your dear head about that. I 
will explain to her and will get her some flowers out 
of the garden ; there are some cunning little red buttony 
chrysanthemums just coming into bloom, and she will 
like them just as well when she knows. I know my 
mother well enough to assure you that it will please 
her a thousand times more to know that her flowers 
have gone to the queen than if she had dozens for 
herself.” 

And Penny was quite right in her opinion, as was 
proved that very evening. Leaving Louise at Miss 
Varney’s door she went on to her own home, finding 
her mother up-stairs ready to give ear to Penny’s tale. 
“ Oh, Mother,” she began, “ what do you think has 
happened ? ” 

‘‘ Something very wonderful, to judge from your 
excitement,” returned her mother smiling. 

“ It is really wonderful this time. Sometimes I do 
have wonderful things to tell you, don’t I? Remem- 


LOUISE AND THE QUEEN 


116 


ber Mrs. Mason's trunk. This is quite a different 
thing, but in a way it is perfectly splendid." Then she 
went on to tell her story, at the end saying, half wist- 
fully, “ and so, you see, I have no birthday gift for 
you." 

“ But, dear child, 1 consider that you have given 
me a most beautiful gift, the gift of a very great 
happiness. I am delighted that Louise should have re- 
ceived such an honor, such a joy, and that you should 
have been the cause of her receiving it, that you were 
so generous." 

“ I really did it on the spur of the moment," con- 
fessed Penny. “ I was just carried away by excite- 
ment." 

“ Nevertheless it was a generous impulse, and that 
pleases me." 

Penny leaned down to kiss her mother. ‘‘ Pd rather 
have you than any queen in the world," she said, “ but 
Louise has no mother, and it meant much more to 
her in every way." 

Then she went down to the garden where the little 
red chrysanthemums were bursting from their olive 
green wrappings. The light was fading. Rilly in the 
kitchen was singing in a very high key: “ Pse gwine to 
shine 'way ovah yondah." The sparrows were twit- 
tering in the vines. There was an odor of burning 
leaves in the air, an autumnal tang. Penny felt very 
happy as she snipped off the flower-bearing twigs from 
the bushes. It was a beautiful world. Her life was 


116 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


full of pleasant happenings. She was surely lucky 
Penny.” 

With her hands full of the ruddy flowers she went 
back into the house, taking her way through the 
kitchen this time that she might get water in which to 
put the buttony blossoms. Rilly broke off her song to 
ask, “ Whar dat Davy? ” 

‘‘ Pm sure I don’t know,” returned Penny. “ Pve 
been out all the afternoon. I haven’t seen him since 
lunch, but I can tell you whom I did see and that is the 
king and queen of Belgium.” 

Rilly laid down her rolling-pin. “ Is yuh ? ” she ex- 
claimed. ** Was dey w’arin’ dey crowns? ” 

'' Not to-day. I suppose they take them off when 
they are travelling,” said Penny with a little giggle. 

They were on the train, you see.” Then she gave 
an account of the meeting to which Rilly listened with 
many ejaculations of : “ Uh uh ! Ain’ dat de troof ? I 
say queen,” ending up with the comment, “ I reckons 
dat little Belgy gal so stuck up she won’t speak to no- 
buddy what ain’t quality.” 

“ Indeed then she will. She isn’t that kind of 
proud,” retorted Penny. 

“Yuh gwine hunt up dat Davy chile?” queried 
Rilly, as Penny bore off her vase of flowers. 

“ Oh, he’ll be in by supper time,” returned Penny 
confidently. She carried the flowers up-stairs to put 
them on her mother’s desk, and then sat down to watch 
the process of Mrs. Atwood’s toilet, always an interest- 


LOUISE AND THE QUEEN 


117 


ing matter when one was going out to dinner, Penny 
told her. “ Is it going to be very big and formal ? ** 
Penny asked. 

'' Oh, no, only about a dozen intimate friends will 
be there, but as it is in honor of my birthday I must 
look my best. I don’t like to leave you children alone, 
but ” 

Children can’t always expect to go tagging- around 
after their parents,” Penny put in philosophically. 

You look perfectly dear. Mother. I love you in that 
misty blue. I hear Father’s key in the latch, so I sup- 
pose I must skurry along and give him a chance to 
dress.” 

“ Be sure to cut nice big slices of the birthday cake,” 
her mother called after her. 

“ Don’t you want to save it uncut? ” 

No, indeed, I want you children to enjoy it just 
as if I were here.” 

Penny went on down-stairs, sliding both hands 
along the baluster to increase her speed. She met her 
father in the hall, but he was in a hurry and could not 
wait to hear her story of the queen. She went out on 
the porch to watch for Davy, but up to the time of her 
parents’ departure he had not come. Still it was not 
very late, although it was getting dark, for the days 
were short, but Penny began to be a little anxious as 
the time for supper approached and no Davy appeared. 
“ I believe I’ll call up Billy Beach,” she said to herself. 

Like as not Davy is there and has forgotten that it is 


118 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


getting late. When he and Billy get absorbed in some 
new play they don’t know how the time goes.” She 
called up Billy only to learn that he had not seen Davy 
that afternoon. 

Penny hung up the receiver and stood uncertain 
what to do next. “ I shouldn’t be at all surprised if he 
had gone off somewhere with that horrid little scamp 
of a Sam Potter,” she said to herself. “ I am just not 
going to wait supper for him. I am as hungry as a 
hunter, and he can take what he can get when he comes 
in.” She rang the bell for Rilly and seated herself at 
the table. 

Whar Davy ? ” was Rilly’s question as she ap- 
peared at the door with a plate of hot biscuits. 

“ I don’t know and I don’t care,” replied Penny 
crossly. “ I’m not going to wait for him. I’m hun- 
gry and he knows as well as I do what time we have 
supper.” 

‘'Might give the po’ fella a little bit o’ chance,” 
grumbled Rilly. 

“ I’m not afraid he will starve when you’re around,” 
returned Penny, helping herself to a biscuit. 

Rilly went out muttering to herself, as it was her 
privileged way of doing when there was no company. 
No one could carry herself with more formality when 
occasion required, but she considered that no ceremony 
was necessary when Penny supped alone. 

Penny enjoyed a hearty meal, helped herself lavishly 
to the birthday cake, and then retired to the library to 


LOUISE AND THE QUEEN 


119 


prepare her lessons for the next day. As time passed, 
from feeling merely annoyed she began to be a trifle 
anxious. When it grew later and later and still there 
was no sign of Davy she was really alarmed. She 
went to the kitchen to find Rilly nodding in her chair. 
It was no use to arouse her. Penny decided, and it was 
not worth while to disturb her parents. She would 
wait till ten o'clock and then she would see. It was 
entirely too quiet and lonely all alone in the library, 
she decided, and therefore she went up to her own 
room, put on a wrapper and sat down again to her 
studies. The town clock struck half-past nine — quar- 
ter of ten — ten, but still no Davy. “ I can't stand it 
any longer," murmured Penny, “ I’ll have to call up 
Father.” 

She turned to go down to the telephone, but just at 
that moment heard a sharp click against the window. 
She listened. The sound was repeated. She went to 
the window, opened it and looked out. Below stood a 
small figure muffled in a blanket. A little further 
away stood another figure similarly enveloped. ‘‘ Is 
that you, Davy ? " called Penny with a feeling of relief. 

“ Yes, it's me," came the answer. ‘‘ Is Father 
there ? ” 

“ No, he and Mother have gone out to dinner.” 

“ Please come down and let us in.” 

“ I'll come.” Wondering a little who was included 
in the “we,” Penny went down, feeling disposed to 
treat the culprit with dignified severity. “ David At- 


120 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


wood, what do you mean by coming in at this time of 
night ? ” she began to say when she faced the boy. 

“ We didn’t mean to come in at all,” replied David 
in a small voice, but we got so cold and we heard 
things and we got scared of wild beasts and we thought 
we’d better come home.” 

“ I should think you’d better be scared. What 
about scaring me to death wondering what had become 
of you? Who is that with you? ” 

“ Sam Potter.” 

“ What is he doing here? ” 

He’s afraid to go home.” 

He is, is he ? Where did you get those blankets ?” 

“ Off of my bed.” 

“ For pity’s sake. Well, come in and tell me what 
you have been up to. I never heard of anything so 
crazy.” 

She held the door open while the two children crept 
in, trailing the blankets behind them. They looked so 
droll that Penny was forced to hide a smile, though she 
still kept up a severe manner. “ Go into the library,” 
she ordered, “ and take off those blankets. I never 
saw anything so filthy; you have about ruined them 
dragging them through the dirt. Now tell me where 
you have been.” 

Davy seated himself dejectedly and Sam slipped into 
a place by his side on the sofa. ‘‘We went camping,” 
Davy began to explain. 

“ Camping? Where did you go? ” 


LOUISE AND THE QUEEN 


121 


Oh, off there,” Davy waved his hand to describe 
an indefinite place. ‘‘We took something to eat but it 
wasn’t near enough. We thought we would find a 
farmhouse where they would give us plenty, but we 
walked and walked and didn’t find any farms at all. 
We thought if we came to the woods we might shoot 
some game ” 

“ What with ? ” Penny asked. 

“ Sam had his pop-gun, or we might catch some 
fish ; they always do, in books, but we couldn’t find a 
trout stream.” 

“ I should think not,” Penny murmured. “ Well, 
go on, then what ? ” 

“ It got dark and we were awfully tired, so when 
we came to a little piece of woods we climbed the fence 
and rolled ourselves in the blankets and lay down 
under the trees, but we got so cold and we heard queer 
noises, and then we thought about how nice and warm 
it was at home, and we thought about a good hot sup- 
per, so we decided we would wait till next summer 
before we really went camping, and we started for 
home. We got awfully tired of carrying the blankets.” 

“ How far did you go? ” 

“ I don’t know, but it was awfully far. A man 
came along in a wagon and brought us part way back. 
We rolled up the blankets and sat upon them. Sam 
got sleepy, but I didn’t. Is there anything to eat. 
Penny ? ” 

“You don’t deserve one mouthful,” said Penny, 


122 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


“but I suppose you’d better have something.” The 
two looked so forlornly miserable, so little, so pathetic- 
ally helpless, that suddenly all resentment faded away, 
and Penny went out to waken Rilly, who came to the 
fore with alacrity, brought out her reserves of food, 
petted, coddled, commiserated, till the adventurers 
were quite chirked up and felt that they had done 
rather a big thing after all. 

Still, when it came to facing paternal judgment 
neither boy was ready for the ordeal. Davy went up 
to his sister and pulled her head down that he might 
whisper : “ Can’t Sam stay all night, and won’t you 
telephone to his mother and tell her he’s here ? ” 

“ Very well,” returned Penny, “ I’ll do it.” 
Emboldened by this concession, Davy went further: 
“And won’t you ’splain to Father and Mother? ” 

“ I don’t know exactly what ’splaining there is to be 
done,” Penny answered, “ but I’ll tell Mother and 
leave it to her to get you out of the mess. Now go 
right to bed.” 

This command the two little chaps were only too 
ready to obey and they scurried up-stairs, leaving Rilly 
to supply other blankets and Penny to telephone to 
Mrs. Potter that her recreant son was safe. 


CHAPTER VIII 


THE HAND-BAG 


HE consequences of Davy’s escapade were more 



i far-reaching than might have been expected, and 
as it sometimes happens that good comes out of evil, 
so it did in this case. 

It was not till the next morning that Penny told her 
mother of her long wait for her little brother. “ I was 
getting so worried,” she concluded by saying. 

‘'And no wonder,” said her mother gravely. “ I am 
afraid those two boys are not good for each other. 
They have too much imagination, and one spurs on the 
other to foolishness. Where are they ? ” 

“ I think they are out in the garden. Sammy has 
been hanging around all morning. I believe he is 
afraid to go home, and as long as it is Saturday he 
doesn’t have to go to school.” 

“ I’m afraid he hasn’t a very wise mother,” Mrs. 
Atwood said half to herself. 

“ She seems very generous,” returned Penny. “ She 
spent a lot of money at the bazaar.” 

“ I think she is generous and kind-hearted. I wish 
you would find the boys and send them to me.” 

Penny lingered at the door before carrying out her 


124 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TROOP 


mother’s wish. “ Please don’t be very cross to Davy,” 
she said wistfully. They did look so forlorn and 
miserable when they came in, and they were all done 
up, and oh, so hungry. I think they worked out their 
own punishment.” 

“ That is often the way,” returned her mother. I 
hope I shall not be unjust, but one must get at the 
motive in affairs like this.” 

Penny went on and found the two boys in the back 
garden; neither was playing very boisterously, and 
when Penny approached they both stood awkwardly 
awaiting her approach. “ Mother wants you, Davy, 
and you, too, Sammy,” she said. 

What does she want us for ? ” asked Davy. 

“ She will tell you.” 

“ I’ll bet you’ve been blabbing.” 

“ She had to know when Rilly showed her those 
blankets, and anyway it was right that she should 
know.” 

Very reluctantly Davy started toward the house, 
Sammy following at snail’s pace. At the door of Mrs. 
Atwood’s room they paused. “ Come in, boys,” said 
Mrs. Atwood pleasantly. “ Now just sit down and 
tell me all about it,” she added as they entered. “ Be- 
gin at the beginning and tell me why you went off in 
that way. Weren’t you comfortable at home? Don’t 
you like your beds ? Is there anything wrong with the 
food ? Has anyone been treating you harshly ? ” 

The boys hung their heads. “Well, no-o,” Davy 


THE HAND-BAG 


126 


began, “ it wasn’t that, but you see we thought we’d 
go to Alaska, to the gold fields, and make a lot of 
money, then when we got back everybody would be so 
pleased and surprised.” 

“ How long did you expect to be gone? ” 

'' Oh, a year or so.” 

“ And didn’t you think your parents would be wor- 
ried?” 

‘‘ Yes, we did think of that, but we meant to write 
and tell them.” 

So very considerate,” Mrs. Atwood murmured. 
''And how did you think to get there? It is a long 
way, you know.” 

"We were going to work our way. We did have 

some money to start with ” Davy glanced at 

Sammy. 

" Tell her,” said Sammy laconically. 

"We did have some money,” Davy repeated it, " but 
we lost it.” 

" Lost it ? How was that ? ” 

Again Davy looked to his companion for encourage- 
ment. Sammy nodded for Davy to go on. 

" It was in a bag,” Davy continued, " and we were 
going to keep other things in it. We were in the five- 
and-ten cent store getting some candy and thipgs. We 
had gone quite a long way before we found out that 
the bag was gone. I said we had left it in the store, 
but Sammy says it was stolen by some footpads that 
were following us.” 


126 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


Mrs. Atwood repressed a smile. “ Did you see the 
footpads? ’’ she asked. 

“No, but Sammy is sure they came along behind us 
and snipped it off his arm; it had a leather handle.” 

“ Was there much money in it? ” 

“ Yes, a great deal, twenty dollars or so.” 

“ It was Sammy's money, of course, and the bag was 
his, too, I suppose.” 

“ Yes, at least ” Davy paused again and looked 

to Sammy for further encouragement. 

This time Sammy spoke up. “ It wasn’t exactly 
mine, but it was all right, for I have that much in the 
bank and I was going to write to Mother to take that 
in place of what was in the bag. I wouldn’t have 
taken it, of course, unless I could pay it back.” 

“ It was your mother’s bag, was it ? ” 

“ Well, yes, but I knew she wouldn’t mind, for she 
has ever so many others and this was an old one.” 

“ Was there anything else in the bag besides the 
money ? ” 

“ Nothing but some old papers, but I’m sorry I lost 
it.” 

“ Is that why you didn’t want to go home this morn- 
ing?” 

Sammy looked abashed at this direct question. 
“ Well — ^well, I — I — don’t suppose Mother will like it, 
but — but — ^maybe I can find the thieves. If I only 
could discover their secret den I would go there dis- 
guised as a peddler or something.” 


THE HAND-BAG 


127 


The idea of little, scrawny, hop-o'-my-thumb Sammy 
disguised as a peddler and invading a robbers' den was 
too much for Mrs. Atwood and she had to smile. “ It 
seems to me," she said, “ that it would be a better plan 
to start your investigations at the five-and-ten cent 
store, and take up the robber clue later if necessary. 
By the way, whose was this brilliant idea of going to 
Alaska, yours or Davy's ? " 

“ It was mine," replied Sammy, somewhat proudly 
and officiously. 

“ Oh, I see. Then, when you decided to come back 
why did you come with Davy instead of going to your 
own home for the night ? " 

‘‘ I didn't want to leave Dave in the lurch," Sammy 
answered importantly, “ and, besides, my mother often 
goes out and leaves me alone with the servants most all 
night. Lots of times I spend the night with some of 
the boys and she doesn’t care a speck. She doesn’t 
even know where I am, sometimes, and so I knew she 
wouldn't mind." 

Mrs. Atwood drew a quick sigh. Without meaning 
to be, Sammy was really pathetic. The idea that any 
mother should not care where her little boy might be 
at night was something that this mother could not un- 
derstand, and at that moment she forgave Sammy 
much. 

Just then the telephone rang. Mrs. Atwood an- 
swered. “ Is my boy, Sammy, at your house ? ” was 
asked. 


128 LUCKY PEKJSTY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“ Yes, he is right here, in this room,” replied Mrs. 
Atwood. 

Won't you please ask him if he has seen anything 
of a black leather hand-bag. I have mislaid it, some- 
how, and there are some very important papers in it 
which I must have. I think I left it on the library 
table, but it is nowhere to be found.” 

Mrs. Atwood repeated this to Sammy, who turned 
very red and then pale. “ Oh, please — please,” he 
stammered, “ tell her something. Tell her I borrowed 
it and — and Oh, please tell her something.” 

He was so agitated, looked so little and helpless that 
Mrs. Atwood could but feel sorry for him. The situa- 
tion was not a pleasant one, but she tried to make the 
best of it. She turned the matter over in her mind 
before she answered Mrs. Potter. “ Sammy says he 
did see the bag,” she told her. “ He borrowed it, he 
says, but thinks he left it somewhere.” 

‘'Where? Where?” came the eager question. 
“ There were not only papers in it, but a sum of money 
and a draft for a large amount which anyone might 
cash.” 

“ I hope we can find it,” replied Mrs. Atwood, 
though with small hope that this could be done. “We 
are going now to hunt it up. I will call you up as soon 
as there is any word of it.” 

“ I see. You think he has left it somewhere around 
in your house. I am much relieved. Thank you a 
thousand times.” 


THE HAND-BAG 


129 


Mrs. Atwood repeated the conversation to Sammy, 
who trembled violently and then burst into tears. I 

didn’t know — I didn’t know ” he sobbed. He was 

so nervous and hysterical that Mrs. Atwood forbore to 
press home the seriousness of the loss, but feeling that 
her own son was somewhat concerned in it, she deter- 
mined to do her part in making a search. 

“ You must go to the five-and-ten cent store,” she 
told Sammy. It is barely possible that you left the 
bag there and that it may have been turned in at the 
Lost and Found desk. Penny shall go with you, for I 
have an important business engagement which will 
keep me at home. You can describe the bag and I cer- 
tainly hope and pray it may be found. You’d better 
go, too, Davy, for you may remember just where you 
stood when you were buying — candy, was it ? ” 

‘‘ I remember exactly,” returned Davy. ‘‘ Don’t 
cry, Sammy, maybe we’ll find it.” 

Penny was summoned and was quite appalled at the 
magnitude of the loss. “ It is perfectly terrible,” she 
exclaimed, “ and I should think Sammy would cry ; I 
know I would if I had done such an awful thing.” 

At these words Sammy burst into a louder wail, and 
Davy, realizing that he was not altogether innocent, 
joined in, so that it was with difficulty that Penny 
could marshal them into any sort of gait when she got 
them out/)n the street. “ They will think I am taking 
you to jail,” she warned. 

Maybe that’s where I’ll have to go,” mourned 


130 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TBOOP 


Sammy. '' I'm so awful bad I ought to go, but Pll 
never do it again." 

'‘And I’ll never, never go to Alaska, not even when 
I’m grown up and know for certain that there is a pile 
of gold to be had.’’ Davy contributed this. 

It was two very pale, red-eyed little boys that Penny 
piloted to the Lost and Found desk, but her heart 
leaped with joy when the girl in charge asked: “ What 
kind of bag was it? ’’ 

"A black leather bag,’’ Sammy told her. 

"About so big,’’ Davy added, measuring the size 
with his hands. 

" It had a leather handle,’’ Sammy continued. 

" When was it lost? ’’ 

The two boys looked at each other. Davy was the 
more certain of the two. " Yesterday afternoon, 
about, about four o’clock. It was four, Sammy, be- 
cause it was getting sort of dark, and we’d come from 
school.’’ He turned to the girl. "We had it over 
there by the candy counter, for Sammy took some 
money out of it to pay for the candy ; it was that chewy 
kind of candy that lasts a good while.’’ 

"Do you know what was in the bag?" The girl 
addressed Penny. 

" Some papers, a draft for a large sum of money, 
about twenty dollars in bills, a little change, a card case 
with two or three cards with different addresses on 
them, tradesmen’s cards, I believe. Can you remem- 
ber anything else, Sammy? " 


THE HAND-BAG 


131 


“ There were some handkerchiefs and a lead pencil, 
a tiny little note-book, too. There was a letter, but I 
mailed that, for it was sealed and had a stamp on it/' 

“ Is this the bag? " The girl handed out one from 
a locked desk. 

“Yes! Yes!" cried the boys in delighted tones. 
“ It wasn't stolen and we left it here after all," said 
Davy triumphantly. 

“Are you the owner ? " the girl addressed Penny. 

“ No, but this little boy's mother is," Penny told her, 
“ and it was he who lost it." 

“ It seems rather a valuable bag for such a little boy 
to have," continued the girl. “ I think the owner had 
better come for it herself. I will speak to Mr. Smith 
and see what he says." 

She went off and returned with Mr. Smith, who 
agreed with her that it were better the owner should 
claim it herself. “ Not that I doubt your right, or that 
you have identified the bag," he said, “ but in such a 
case it would be more satisfactory to us as well as to 
the owner; moreover, I think that for so valuable a 
thing there should be some reward for the finder." 

“I think so, too, and I am sure Mrs. Potter will 
agree. How would it do for me to telephone her and 
ask her to come and claim the bag ? " said Penny. 

“ Excellent. Come into the office and use our 
'phone." 

Leaving the two boys outside Penny followed the 
man, and soon was able to reach Mrs. Potter over the 


132 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


’phone. “ Your bag is found, Mrs. Potter,” she said, 
“ but you will have to come and claim it.” 

“ Mercy ! ” cried Mrs. Potter. Why, where are 
you? Isn’t this Mrs. Atwood’s residence, and who is 
this speaking? ” 

“ I am Penny Atwood and I am at the five-and-ten 
cent store where your bag was found.” 

“ That is the most mysterious thing I ever heard,” 
Mrs. Potter responded. “ I haven’t been to the five- 
and-ten for ages.” 

“ But Sammy has,” Penny told her, with an idea of 
giving some clue to what Sammy’s mother might ex- 
pect to hear. 

‘‘ Oh, very well. I will come immediately. Is 
Sammy with you ? ” 

“ Yes, he is here.” 

“ The little wretch. I will be there as soon as pos- 
sible.” 

And indeed she must have used all possible speed, 
for in a very short time Penny saw her automobile stop 
before the door. “ Where is Sammy? Oh, there you 
are. Penny. This is awfully good of you. I have 
been worried to death over those papers. You are 
sure it is the right bag? ” 

“ Sammy says so.” 

“ I don’t understand yet what he had to do with it. 

I have a mind to give him the worst whipping 

Yes, Sammy Potter,” she went on, catching sight of 
her son. “ I have a mind to give you a good trouncing.” 


THE HAND-BAG 


133 


“ She will when she learns the facts,” thought 
Penny, but she did not know that Mrs. Potter^s threats 
were seldom carried out, and that the bag recovered 
there was little left for Sammy to fear. She led the 
way to the place where the bag was in keeping, saw it 
safely delivered into Mrs. Potter’s hands and heard 
Mr. Smith say: “ We thought, Mrs. Potter, that you 
might like to reward the little boy who found the bag. 
It was certainly very honest of him and I imagine 
from his looks that he not only deserves but needs 
what you may feel disposed to offer.” 

“ Why, of course,” relumed Mrs. Potter, generous 
at all times and especially so on this occasion when her 
relief was so great. “ Where is he ? ” 

“We have his address. He had not thought of 
leaving it till we suggested that he should. It is over 
in a poor part of the town.” 

“ Oh, dear, I am in a great hurry to get to bank be- 
fore it closes, as it does so early on Saturdays. I won- 
der if you have someone you could send.” 

Mr. Smith hesitated when Penny spoke up. “ I can 
go, Mrs. Potter, if you like.” 

“ Oh, my dear, would you ? How kind of you. I 
will take Sammy along with me, and Davy, too, if he 
wants to go. I have to see my lawyer after I leave the 
bank, but I can take you that far in my car.” 

Penny agreed to this, and after taking leave of the 
kindly Mr. Smith with many thanks on Mrs. Potter’s 
part, they left the store. 


134 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


At the bank Mrs. Potter thrust a bill into Penny’s 
hand. “ Give the child this,” she said, and disap- 
peared into the bank. 

Penny saw that she had handed her twenty dollars, 
and considered this none too large an amount, so she 
put it carefully into her purse, hailed a street car and 
proceeded on her errand. It was getting colder. The 
wind whistled around corners and heaped the dry 
leaves in brown and yellow masses along the gutters 
and around the roots of trees. Penny wore her shabby 
furs but rejoiced that the new set would soon be ready. 
It must be terrible to have no fire and no food, she 
thought as she approached nearer and nearer and 
nearer to the poorer part of the town. 

At a certain corner she left the car, looked about her 
and then turned into a narrow street whose little 
houses were of the humblest sort. Before one of these 
she paused to look at the number. The door stood 
open and she heard a man’s voice, loud and emphatic: 
‘‘ I say you’ve got to get out,” she heard. “ I’ve 
waited as long as I mean to, and I’ve been patient. 
You give me that rent now or this afternoon you’re put 
out.” 

Penny stood still chilled with horror. She had 
heard of such things as persons being dispossessed, but 
it had seemed a far-off, unreal thing, and here was she 
facing the fact. She was so moved, so interested that 
she could not stir, and presently she heard a child’s 
voice raised in protest. “ You stop talking that way 


THE HAND-BAG 


135 


to my mother. Give us a little time. You ain’t going 
to be cheated out of your money.” 

“ I’ve heard that tale before and just once too 
often,” the man’s voice began again. “ Promises ain’t 
nothin’ but hot air, and I’m sick and tired of them. 
Out you go this afternoon, and let me see you dare to 
take away a stick of furniture the law don’t allow 
you.” 

Then a red-faced man hurried from the house with 
a final threat of “ You’ll get out by three o’clock or I’ll 
know the reason why.” 

Penny sprang aside to let him pass, then went up the 
steps and looked at the number which was too faint to 
be seen from below. Then she knocked at the door. 
After waiting a few minutes she knocked louder, and 
presently a little boy with face smeared and teary, 
came to the door. Is this where Peter Nugent 
lives ? ” asked Penny. 

“ That’s me,” said the boy. 

‘‘ Did you find a black leather bag at the five-and-ten 
cent store ? ” 

‘‘Yes, I did,” replied the boy, “but I didn’t take 
nothin’ out of it, and I carried it straight to the desk, 
so I did.” He spoke defiantly. 

“ When did you find it ? ” Penny pursued her ques- 
tioning. 

“ Yesterday afternoon.” 

Penny glanced around her. There were women 
standing in doorways, children gaping at her from the 


136 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 


sidewalk. She did not want them to observe the trans- 
fer of the reward. “ May I come inside a minute ? ” 
she asked. 

The boy stood aside and she entered the dingy hall- 
way. “ That bag had some valuable papers in it, and 
some money,” she said opening her purse. 

“ I didn’t take nothin’.” The boy looked at her un- 
flinchingly with clear, long-lashed blue eyes. 

‘‘ I know you didn’t,” returned Penny smiling, “ and 
that is exactly why I am here. The lady the bag be- 
longs to wants me to give you this,” she took out the 
bill, “ as a reward for your honesty.” She handed 
him the money. 

He took it in his smudgy little hand, looked at it in 
a dazed way for a minute, murmured a deep-breathed 
“Gee!” and then dashed into an inner room crying: 
“ Mother I Mother I ” all his heart in his cry. 

“ He might have had the grace to thank me,” said 
Penny to herself as she turned away, “ but I suppose 
he was too excited. Well, I hope it may do them 
good.” 

She had scarcely reached the lowest step, however, 
before Peter came dashing out of the house calling: 
“ Lady, lady ! please don’t go. Mother wants to speak 
to you.” 

So back Penny went to be received at the door by a 
thin little woman wiping her eyes on her apron. 
“ Please, miss,” she began, “ would you mind letting 
me know the rights of this ? Petey is so excited I can’t 


THE HAND BAG 


137 


make head nor tail of it. ’Twas something about a 
bag so near as I can make out.” 

‘‘ Peter found a bag at the five-and-ten cent store 
yesterday. He took it straight to the office where they 
made him give his name and address. When the lady 
the bag belongs to heard about it she wanted to give a 
reward for his honesty and sent me with the money. 
It was a very valuable bag, at least the things in it were 
valuable, and she was worried to death about losing it. 
She is quite able to give the reward, and thinks Peter 
is a very honest little boy.” 

“ Pve tried to bring him up honest,” said his mother, 
looking down at him proudly. “ Petey is a good boy, 
miss, but it’s been hard for us to keep straight these 
days. It’s as if an angel from heaven had brought us 
this money, for I am behind with the rent on account 
of me being sick with ammonia, and the lad not being 
able to get a job.” 

‘‘ I guess he won’t put us out now,” spoke up Petey 
with decision. 

‘‘ He’ll not. Perhaps you saw the landlord coming 
out just now, miss,” Mrs. Nugent again turned to 
Penny. “ He was threatening to take our furniture 
and set us out on the street with just the poor sticks the 
law allows. I was owing two months and am on the 
third, miss, and this lifts me out of a sore trouble. 
Please thank the lady a thousand times. God bless 
her and you, too, miss. Did ye thank the young lady, 
Petey?” 


138 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Peter hung his head and murmured: ‘'Thank ye, 
miss.” 

“ He do be bashful like,” said his mother, “ but he’s 
a good boy, is Petey, and if he wasn’t so small he’d be 
getting a job that would help out, but nobody’ll take 
him on account of his size. He’s right smart and 
could do er rants and the like fine. Maybe ye’ll be 
hearing of someone that wants a boy that’s smart and 
willing.” 

“ I will certainly inquire,” Penny promised. 

“ When I get back me stren’th we’ll catch up, but the 
times is mortial hard,” the woman sighed. 

Peter snuggled up close to her side. “ Never mind. 
Mother,” he whispered, “ we got the rent money an’ 
maybe I’ll git a job.” 

Mrs. Nugent smiled and Penny went away wonder- 
ing what they would have for dinner and casting 
around in her mind for a possible job for Peter. She 
was so absorbed that she let two cars pass her without 
getting on and nearly forgot where she was to get out. 


CHAPTER IX 


MR. SMITH AND PETER 



ND SO for once good came out of evil,’^ said 


Xx. Mrs. Atwood when Penny went home with her 
story. “No one could have imagined that the esca- 
pade of those two naughty little boys would result in 
good fortune for another little boy, but that is some- 
times the way in this world.” 

“ Do you think they really riieant to be so naughty?” 
asked Penny, ready to excuse her little brother. 

“ Perhaps not really, although they knew that run- 
ning away from home was not a thing to do. They 
are both imaginative children, and Sam is allowed to 
read all sorts of sensational stories, so they were car- 
ried away by the idea of adventure, not realizing that 
they were too young to do what older boys might do. 
The boys in the stories that Sam reads are always go- 
ing off into the world to make their way heroically and 
in the end return home to pay the mortgage on the 
farm, so why not Sam and Davy ? ” 

Penny nodded understanding^. “ I wonder if I 
will be as just and wise as you are when I am grown 


up. 


140 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“ I hope you will be much wiser and more just; you 
will if your mother’s experience can help you.” 

‘‘ Wasn’t it lucky that I reached Mrs. Nugent’s just 
in the nick of time ? ” 

“ It certainly was. Lucky Penny again, I suppose 
you will say. Tell me some more about those two. 
An honest, hard-working woman deserves to be helped 
and we must see what can be done for them.” 

“ She is a little skinny sort of woman, but clean. 
The little boy has big blue eyes with long black lashes. 
His hands weren’t very clean, but he looks straight at 
you, and I think his face might have been clean before 
he smudged tears all over it with his hands.” 

That isn’t exactly what I wanted to know,” replied 
Mrs. Atwood smiling. “ I imagine they are Irish. 
Did the house look clean and orderly ? Did the woman 
tell you what sort of work she was accustomed to do?” 

** I didn’t see much of the house, but what I did see 
looked quite decent, and they didn’t seem to be the rag- 
taggy sort of people that some of their neighbors are. 
She didn’t tell me what sort of work she does.” 

“ Well, we can go there and find out. Would 
Davy’s clothes fit the little boy ? ” 

“ They would be rather small, I am afraid, though 
he is not big. I imagine he is older than he looks, and 
he seems to want to get work very, very much. 
Mother, do you know Mr. Smith, the manager of the 
five-and-ten cent store ? ” 

“ No, but I think your father does.” 


ME. SMITH AND PETEE 


141 


“ He seems an awfully nice, kind man. I wonder 
if Mrs. Potter would have thought of offering the re- 
ward if Mr. Smith hadn’t suggested it. She was quite 
ready to do it when he did mention it, but she is sort 
of scatter-brained, don’t you think ? ” 

Mrs. Atwood smiled. “ Don’t let’s discuss Mrs. 
Potter, let’s go back to Mr. Smith. Now that Christ- 
mas is coming and all the shops are so busy perhaps he 
might find a place for Peter — is that his name ? ” 

Oh, Mother, that is a lovely idea. He would be 
sure of Peter’s honesty, wouldn’t he? He mentioned 
it, and seemed pleased that a poor little boy like that 
should not have kept the bag. It must have been an 
awful temptation when he knew the landlord was 
about to turn them out of house and home if they 
didn’t pay the rent. I wish, I do wish Mr. Smith 
would give him a job.” 

** Why don’t you go and ask him ? ” 

“ I ? ” Penny looked startled. 

“Yes; why not? A Girl Scout should be willing to 
help anyone at any time, and no one could tell the facts 
so well as you who have been to the house and learned 
what was going on.” 

“ Do you think he would consider me fresh and 
meddlesome ? ” 

“ Not if you were diplomatic about it.” 

“ How could I be ? How would you go about it if 
you were I ? ” 

“ Well, I should tell him that you thought he would 


142 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


like to know that Mrs. Potter had given the reward, 
and had commissioned you to take it. I would tell 
him the amount, and then tell him just what you saw 
and heard when you got there. That would bring up 
the subject of Peter’s wanting a place, and if he does 
not suggest it himself, you could ask him if he knew 
anyone who might want to employ a boy like that.” 

“ I could do that, couldn’t I ? Would you say any 
more ? ” 

‘‘If he still seems to be indifferent you might ask 
him to let Peter know in case he should hear of a job 
for him.” 

Penny thought this all over, finally deciding that she 
could undertake the mission without fear. “ Would 
you go alone? ” she asked finally. 

“ Yes, I believe it would be more effective if you 
would. You could tell him who you are, for as your 
father knows him it might arouse more interest in 
what you have to say.” 

“ I could take Brownie with me as far as the store, 
just to give me courage, and she could be looking 
around while I interviewed Mr. Smith. Suppose he 
won’t see me ? ” 

“ I think he will if you tell him Mr. Robert At- 
wood’s daughter wants to speak to him.” 

“ I hope I won’t forget any of the telling points, but 
I reckon when I get started I won’t, for I am inter- 
ested. I suppose I’d better go while I am enthusi- 
astic.” 


MR. SMITH AND PETER 


143 


** It is always better to strike when the iron is hot. 
If you wait too long Mr. Smith will have forgotten the 
incident and your own ardor perhaps will have cooled 
somewhat.” 

“ Then off I go this blessed afternoon, for to-mor- 
row will be Sunday, and there you are.” 

She was rather quiet during the meal hour, for she 
really dreaded the interview with Mr. Smith. It was 
one thing to plunge into a matter of that kind without 
having premeditated and another to go at it with cold 
calculation. She was afraid she might not say the 
right thing, that Mr. Smith would think her forward, 
would be busy and cut her off short, would tell her that 
he could not attend to all the little boys who returned 
lost articles, or that he might not be willing to see her 
at all ; indeed as the time drew near she rather hoped 
this last would be the case. 

However, when she had called for Brownie, had laid 
the matter before her and received a most enthusiastic 
encouragement, she felt quite brave, so that not till she 
was actually in the store and had asked to see Mr. 
Smith did she feel any return of that disagreeable sink- 
ing of heart. Then she would fain have turned and 
fled, but knew that she must stick to her guns. She 
gave Brownie an appealing look as the message was 
brought that Mr. Smith asked if she would come to his 
office. 

“ Well, Miss Atwood,” said Mr. Smith, looking up 
from his desk as Penny entered, ‘‘what is it to-day. 


144 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


something for your Girl Scouts, or is it a drive of 
some kind that you want to interest me in ? ” 

“ Oh, no,” Penny returned, I just wanted to tell 
you about the reward Mrs. Potter sent to the little boy 
that found her bag. I thought maybe you would like 
to know about it.” 

‘‘ Yes, yes, I believe I do remember there was some- 
thing about a bag. It had some valuable papers in it, 
I think.” 

Then Penny told her story, interrupted only once or 
twice by a question from her listener. At the conclu- 
sion he said nothing more than: ‘‘Thank you very 
much for telling me this. I will bear the boy in mind 
in case we need anyone.” 

“ For the extra Christmas work, anyway,” said 
Penny wistfully. 

“ Exactly,” answered Mr. Smith with a smile, and 
Penny went away not at all convinced that her effort 
had been worth while. 

“ Well,” said Brownie eagerly when Penny had 
found her looking over toys, “ what luck ? ” 

“ I did the best I could,” responded Penny rather 
disheartedly, “ but all he said was that he would bear 
Peter in mind.” 

“I suppose that was all one could expect him to 
say,” returned Brownie comfortingly. 

“ But I did so want him to look delighted at the 
chance of getting an honest boy,” declared Penny. 

“ Wasn’t he nice and pleasant? ” 


MR. SMITH AND PETER 


145 


“ Oil, yes, though not what you might call enthusi- 
astic. I like people to be enthusiastic.’’ 

But business men don’t fall over themselves being 
enthusiastic about poor little boys,” Brownie said with 
a laugh. “ You expect too much, my young miss. 
Now I prophesy that Mr. Smith will be up and doing 
just because he didn’t talk much about it. You wait 
and see.” 

“ I don’t see that. ! can do anything else,” returned 
Penny. “ One thing I do see. Brownie, and that is we 
must not forget to send the Nugents a Christmas 
basket.” 

“ I should think we mustn’t. Let me see, we have 
several new names on the list. There is Louise for 
one.” 

“ Oh, she is all arranged for, you know.” 

“ Yes, I know, but still she is a new one on the list. 
Then there is Mr. Mason; we mustn’t forget him.” 

‘‘ Indeed we must not. I don’t suppose the poor old 
man has had a Christmas gift in many a year.” 

Probably not. Well, he shall have one this year.” 

“ He shall have two at least, and I shouldn’t be sur- 
prised if he had more.” 

“ And now come the Nugents.” 

Mother is going to see Mrs. Nugent and then we 
can tell better what is needed there. It does seem to 
me as if we Girl Scouts would be busier than ever in 
spite of there being no war work to do.” 

Then their talk wandered to other subjects while 


146 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


down in the little house where the Nugents lived there 
was great rejoicing. If Penny could have seen what 
took place that evening she would have realized that 
she had no cause to criticize Mr. Smith. It was about 
eight o’clock when he arrived in the shabby little street, 
sought out the barely decipherable number, and 
knocked at Mrs. Nugent’s door. Peter answered, 
looking askance at the strange gentleman, and fearing 
some new complication in the matter of rent. Many 
hard rubs in an unfeeling world had made him sus- 
picious, and his Irish blood was ready to heat up at the 
first signs of offense. ** Is this Peter Nugent? ” asked 
Mr. Smith. 

“ That’s me name,” replied Peter curtly. 

Ask the gentleman in,” came from his mother, 
none too far off. 

Peter opened the door wider and Mr. Smith entered. 
He gave a quick glance to the surroundings as he was 
ushered into the small room. He observed that it was 
clean, if cheaply furnished and in none too good taste. 

Mrs. Nugent pushed forward the best chair, a 
gaudily upholstered one, now shabby from long use. 

Will ye be seated, sir? ” she said politely. 

Mr. Smith sat down. Mrs. Nugent took another 
chair, and waited with hands folded to learn what the 
visitor’s errand might be. Peter, frowning a trifle 
suspiciously, stood by the door like some wary little 
terrier ready to bark at one who might prove an 
enemy. 


ME. SMITH AND PETEE 


147 


“ I am Mr. Smith, manager of the five-and-ten cent 
store,” began the visitor. Peter's blood chilled. Sup- 
pose there was some mistake about that wonderful 
twenty-dollar bill which had already passed out of his 
possession into the hands of the landlord. It could 
not be recalled and how in the world could he ever 
make it good? He drew his black brows together 
more frowningly, and edged a little closer to his 
mother. 

Yes, sir,” said Mrs. Nugent, not having the least 
idea of why this should concern her. 

“ This is your son, I suppose,” Mr. Smith went on, 

‘‘ It is, sir,” replied Mrs. Nugent, still in the dark. 

How old is he? ” 

“ He’s eleven going on twelve, though small for his 
age. His father was something of a runt, though as 
fine a man as ever wore shoe leather.” Mrs. Nugent 
had found her tongue. 

Yes, yes, he is small. I should have thought him 
younger. Didn’t I see you in our store yesterday?” 
Mr. Smith turned to Peter. “ Doing your shopping 
for Christmas, probably,” he added with a little twist 
of a smile. 

“ No, sir. I was just looking,” answered Peter. 

I hadn’t the price for anything like what you think. 
I liked to look. Gee ! but there’s a lot of nice things 
you can get for five or ten cents.” 

“And you picked up a bag,” Mr. Smith went on, 
while Peter’s blood again ran chill. 


148 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


“ Yes, sir, I found it over by the candy counter.” 

“ Why didn’t you keep it ? ” 

Peter’s big blue eyes opened "wide while his mother 
lifted her hand with a quick exclamation. “ Hear to 
that ! ” she cried. “ Why, sir, Petey would no more 
keep a thing that didn’t belong to him than he’d take it, 
and he’d starve before he’d do that last. We’ve 
scarcely two pennies to rub together these last months, 
but the two of us would go to the poorhouse rather 
than take a pin’s worth.” 

Mr. Smith’s rather grave face broke into a smile. 

I am quite convinced of that,” he said. “ That is 
why I am here. This is a busy time of year with us, 
just before Christmas, and we need a lot of extra help. 
I am looking for an errand boy, for though we don’t 
usually deliver our goods, we do send home purchases 
above a certain amount. Do you know the town well, 
Peter? Can you find your way about and are you 
strong enough to carry rather heavy bundles some- 
times? ” 

‘‘You bet I can find my way anywhere,” replied 
Peter eagerly, “ and just look at that.” He pulled up 
his sleeve to show his muscle, not so greatly developed 
after all, and giving evidence of scrawniness rather 
than strength, but Mr. Smith nodded appreciation 
while Peter scanned his face avidly. “If you’ll only 
try me, sir. I’ll work me legs off,” he said. 

“ We’d hardly want you to do that when the legs 
are the very thing you must use in running errands,” 


ME. SMITH AND PETEE 


149 


returned Mr. Smith. “ Well, Peter, if your mother is 
willing you can report at the store Monday morning at 
half-past seven. We can use you for the holidays 
anyhow, and if you prove competent and faithful we 
will keep you on after that.’* 

‘‘ I’ll work like a horse,” promised Peter with shin- 
ing eyes. I’ll do my very best, sir.” 

“ That is all anyone could ask, and I hope we can 
keep you on. I forgot to say that we can give you ” — 
he mentioned a fair enough sum, — “ to begin with.” 
Peter drew in his breath and stretched himself up to as 
great a height as his muscles permitted. 

‘‘ Oh, sir, oh, sir,” said Mrs. Nugent brokenly as Mr. 
Smith rose to go. ** I think the good Lord must have 
sent you, for we had happened upon sorry times till 
this blessed day. Who would have thought when it 
dawned that the luck would find us before night ? May 
I be so bold as to ask how you happened to know that 
my Petey was so anxious to get a job? ” 

“ Why, certainly. I don’t mind telling you that it 
was Miss Penny Atwood who suggested that I might 
find something for him to do. She is the young lady 
who was here to-day to bring your son a reward for 
his honesty in returning the bag.” 

“Heaven bless her!” exclaimed Mrs. Nugent fer- 
vently. “ I could see by the looks of her that she had 
a good, kind heart, and you, sir, may you never want a 
friend.” 

“ That’s a good wish,” returned Mr. Smith. 


160 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


“ We’ll look for you on Monday, then, Peter.” And 
with a good-night he left two very happy persons, 
probably the happiest in that narrow little street. 

It was a few days later that Brownie, coming into 
Penny’s home, was almost knocked down by her 
friend’s impetuous rush to meet her. “ What do you 
think? What do you think? ” cried Penny. I was 
in the five-and-ten cent store to-day and who should be 
there working but little Peter Nugent. It is just as 
you said. Brownie. You told me Mr. Smith would be 
up and doing, and so he was. He didn’t put off one 
minute seeing Peter, for he has been there since Mon- 
day morning. Isn’t it fine ? ” 

” I should say. How is he getting along? ” 

“ Beautifully, at least I think so. I asked a person 
in charge of one of the departments and she said he did 
very well, but that a new broom sweeps clean, which I 
thought was rather disagreeable of her.” 

” You didn’t see Mr. Smith? ” 

“ No, and I didn’t want to bother him, but when I 
do see him I shall thank him. I wish you could have 
seen Peter dashing around. I didn’t stop him to ask 
any questions but Mother is going to see Mrs. Nugent 
as soon as she can get time and we shall find out all 
about it.” 

“ Did you tell Mrs. Potter? ” 

” Yes, and she told Sammy. We didn’t care about 
having Davy know, but, of course, Sammy will tell 
him. You would have thought to hear Mrs. Potter 


ME. SMITH AND PETEE 


161 


that Sammy had done the noblest thing in the world by 
losing her bag. She gave him all the credit after 
threatening to give him the worst trouncing he ever 
had. No wonder poor little Sammy has no proper 
idea of right and wrong, scolded for a thing one min- 
ute and praised the next minute for doing the same 
thing. 

“ What about Davy ? 

“ Oh, Mother knew how to deal with him. I can 
tell you. Brownie Burton, we ought to give thanks on 
our bended knees that we haven't silly mothers. If we 
grow up to be stupid, foolish, brainless women it will 
be our own fault and not our mothers'." 

Brownie was thoughtful. ‘‘I can tell you this, too," 
she said after a moment, that the girls of this genera- 
tion owe a lot to the Girl Scout movement, those that 
have silly mothers, I mean, and several of them have. 
If Mrs. Potter had been a Girl Scout when she was our 
age she wouldn't be so — so — sort of queer in her way 
of looking at things." 

“ She would have a better idea of values, my mother 
says," Penny continued the subject. “ I think that is 
an awfully good way to put it. Mother says persons 
place false values on words and deeds until they learn 
real values. I didn't understand what she meant at 
first, but I am beginning to." 

“ It's just like admiring a stone that shines when it 
has no value at all," Brownie was thinking it out, “ but 
when you put it to the test you learn that it isn't worth 


152 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


anything compared to a true diamond. The thing to 
do is to know a real diamond the minute you look at it, 
and to be satisfied to wear nothing less. We shouldn't 
adorn our characters with any but gems of the first 
water.” 

That's a lovely way to describe it,” replied Penny 
admiringly. I'm going to try to remember that. 
Don't let's wear any cheap, make-believe stuff. If 
you see me flaunting false jewels, just remind me, and 
I will try to get rid of them.” 

“All right, and you do the same for me.” 

Penny agreed to this, and the two went off to plan 
Christmas gifts. 


CHAPTER X 


CHRISTMAS FUN AND FEASTS 
HE Girl Scouts were gathered in the big room 



X which had been given over to them for their 
meetings. After the preliminary exercises were over 
Miss Varney called upon her troop to go on with the 
programme prepared for the afternoon, but this was 
entered into so half-heartedly, so absent-mindedly that 
she halted the proceedings to say, Girls, what is the 
matter with you all? I don’t find anything like the 
usual enthusiasm. What has happened ? ” 

“ Oh, dear Miss Varney,” Brownie spoke up, ‘‘ it 
isn’t what has happened, but what is going to. When 
you say something about wig-wagging I am wondering 
what I shall give somebody for Christmas, and when 
you talk about the Morse code I am saying to myself : 
I mustn’t forget to send so-and-so a Christmas card.” 

Miss Varney laughed. “ I am afraid that is the 
way it is with most of us. Very well, let us make this 
an occasion to plan for Christmas. We will decide 
what is specially Christmas work for the troop, and 
talk over how the work is to be carried on. In that 
way perhaps we can get up an interest in this meeting.” 
Almost simultaneously each girl gave a sigh of relief. 
“ Those baskets,” Becky Cole spoke up. “ How 


164 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 


many shall we need, and who shall see to buying them 
and packing them ? ” 

‘‘ That brings us face to face with the question,” 
said Miss Varney. ‘‘ Suppose each girl writes down 
on a slip of paper the name of the person or persons in 
whom she is most interested. If it is a family tell how 
many must be provided for, and whether children or 
grown-ups. That will give us the number of baskets 
needed. Next we will find out what each girl can con- 
tribute, and so we can get around to something like 
system.” 

Becky gave around the slips of paper and soon the 
girls were whispering together and jotting down the 
names she had in mind. 

“ Suppose you take Mr. Mason and I’ll take the 
Nugents,” Penny said to Brownie, with whom she had 
paired off. 

What about Louise ? ” 

“ Oh, she’s not in it ; she is one of us,” declared 
Penny. “ She won’t need a basket if she is spending 
the holidays with me.” 

Brownie giggled. “ I should hope not. Well, I’ll 
take Mr. Mason, although it doesn’t seem as if he were 
one to send a Christmas dinner to.” 

‘‘We aren’t going to put dinners in every basket, are 
we? Miss Varney, are the baskets to have exactly the 
same things in them ? ” Penny asked. 

“ Why no, I should not imagine so. You wouldn’t 
want to send a toy to a rheumatic old woman nor a 


CHKISTMAS FUN AND FEASTS 


165 


warm shawl to a five-year-old boy. I should hope we 
could use better judgment than that. It will depend 
entirely upon the needs of those you are sending to.’' 

With a triumphant: “ I told you so,” Penny wrote: 

Mrs. Nugent, poor widow. Peter, her son, eleven 
years old,” and handed in her slip; the others did the 
same, and Miss Varney and Becky looked them over. 
The number of pensioners was announced, Becky and 
Monica were delegated to buy the baskets, a day was 
appointed for the baskets to be packed and the contri- 
butions received, and the meeting closed with more en- 
thusiasm than was shown at its beginning. The 
Christmas spirit was stirred, and each girl hurried 
home to consult her mother about contributions to the 
baskets. 

There was a spicy odor in the house when Penny 
entered. Rilly always began her Christmas prepara- 
tions betimes. To-day she was making mince meat. 
Next she would make fruit cake and then the plum 
pudding. She was in her element, and had saved up, 
stored away and cajoled the grocer to send supplies till 
she was ready to concoct the traditional goodies as 
usual. 

Penny followed her nose, which finally took her to 
the kitchen where her mother was stoning raisins and 
Rilly was paring apples. “ My, how good it smells,” 
exclaimed Penny, perching herself upon the window- 
sill and helping herself to a raisin. ‘‘ Mother, could I 
have a pie to put in Mr. Mason’s basket ? ” 


166 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Her mother smiled. “ It doesn’t strike me that it 
would be very appropriate for a sick man, and more- 
over, I doubt if he would be allowed to eat any of it, so 
the nurses would fall heir to it.” 

I suppose that is so ; then what could I have ? ” 
Penny asked, helping herself to another raisin, and 
thereupon bringing a grunt of disapproval from Rilly, 
who rolled her eyes toward her in a way which caused 
Penny to drop the raisin and pick up a sliver of citron 
instead. ‘‘ What could I have ? ” she repeated. 

'' I think some fruit and a mold of jelly would be 
more to the purpose than pie.” 

To be sure,” Penny went on, “ Brownie has taken 
over Mr. Mason as her special, and I have taken the 
Nugents. Could I have a pie for them? ” 

“ Not a mince pie, I am afraid, for we are to make a 
very few and those are already planned for, except just 
one for ourselves. You might have a little plum pud- 
ding.” 

That would be fine ; and what else ? ” 

“ Sugar is so scarce that I am afraid you cannot 
have many sweet things, but no doubt a little will go a 
great way, and we can make up on other things, gro- 
ceries, like tea and coffee. Everything is so abnor- 
mally high, you see.” 

“ I know that and it is the very reason why we have 
to do the best we can for the poor people that will have 
a hard time to get anything at all for Christmas. 
Why, Mother, every girl in the troop had either a 


CHEISTMAS FUN AND FEASTS 


167 


family or an individual to provide for, and that -would 
mean about twenty. Fortunately we did so well at the 
bazaar that we had a little left over after buying the 
uniforms for the Tenderfoots, so that will buy the bas- 
kets, those cheap splint ones. Some of the girls say 
they have some at home that are not needed, and that 
will help out. I think the boys will help out in giving 
presents to Mr. Mason, for they feel as if he belonged 
to them as well as to us. I should like to give him a 
tiny little present all by myself, on account of the 
trunk. What do you think would be nice for him ? ” 

“ How would a wool cap do, the kind I have been 
crocheting for the army hospitals? You say he sits 
out-of-doors now, and in cold weather it might be very 
well for him to have something he could pull down 
over his ears. I can show you how to crochet one. I 
am able to make one in a couple of evenings, so it 
should not take you long. I will provide the worsted.” 

‘‘ Bless you, darlingest mother, that will be just the 
thing and I would so much rather give something I had 
made myself. So much for Mr. Mason. We have 
everything planned out for Louise, so I think when we 
have provided for the Nugents I can rest my mind. 
Of course I don’t have to provide everything for their 
basket, but I must help out with the others. One of 
the girls is going to contribute five pounds of candy, 
and another is going to make a whole lot of little cor- 
nucopias and bags, and still another will bring a batch 
of ginger snaps, so all those things can be divided up/* 


158 LUCKY PEMY OF THISTLE TBOOP 

You can have a peck of apples from the barrel 
which has just come from the country, and you can 
have a dozen oranges, and as for groceries I will order 
rice, tea and cereals enough for you to give as your 
share, and Rilly can make you an apple pie. I think 
that should suffice.” 

Perfectly splendid.” Penny thoughtfully picked 
up another sliver of citron and put it in her mouth, 
then she jumped down from her perch crying; Oh, 
Mother, I have a perfectly beautiful thought! ” 

Something to do with star-dust and roses, per- 
haps,” returned her mother, smiling. These are 
ready, Rilly.” 

“ Oh, no. You needn’t laugh at me. Mother. This 
is really very sensible. I was wondering what we 
could give the Nugents besides things to eat, some real 
Christmas gift, and I have thought of those things in 
Mrs. Mason’s trunk, the things that neither Louise nor 
I could use, like flannel petticoats and bombazine 
dresses. Then there is that cloth coat, too.” 

‘‘ That is a happy thought. Penny, even if we decide 
not to call it beautiful. If Mrs. Nugent has any skill 
in sewing she could easily alter those things.” 

** I should think they would just about fit her as they 
are, for she is a little woman, you know. And bon- 
nets — you remember there were bonnets that we didn’t 
know what to do with, in those funny old bandboxes. 
Mr. Mason said we were to dispose of all that stuff if 
we could. I don’t suppose Mrs. Nugent could wear 


CHEISTMAS FUN AND FEASTS 


169 


them as they are, but they could be made over, some of 
them. I saw a black velvet one that looked to me very 
nice.'’ 

‘'Very well, we will look them over and see what 
can be done, but what about the little boy? He can't 
wear bombazine dresses nor velvet bonnets." 

“ No, but he could wear shirts made out of the flan- 
nel petticoats," cried Penny triumphantly. “There 
are three or four and Mrs. Nugent can't wear them 
all." 

“Another happy thought. What have you been 
using to brighten up your wits to-day ? " 

“ Just the looking-glass of my mother's mind that is 
reflected into mine." 

“ My, my, what a bright daughter I have and what 
a complimentary one. Come, let us get out of Rilly's 
way ; she is casting black looks at you, and I don't won- 
der. If you keep on picking at those raisins no one 
will have either a mince pie or a plum pudding." 

Before Christmas Day arrived the baskets were all 
ready, and which gave the most pleasure it would be 
hard to say. To Penny's cap for Mr. Mason the boys 
added all sorts of little gifts from bootlaces to books. 
They also took up a collection to buy Mrs. Nugent a 
ton of coal, so, with fuel in the cellar, food in the 
larder and clothing enough for the coldest day, the 
poor little widow felt as if riches had suddenly de- 
scended upon her. As for Mr. Mason, all his ogreish 
manners had melted entirely away. Penny told her 


160 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


mother, and a milder man could not be found. The 
sunshine of sympathy and kindness had thawed out 
the ice of unhappiness, so that he was almost genial 
when Penny found him surrounded by his books, 
flowers, Christmas cards, and gifts. 

As for Louise, never had she had a more wonderful 
Christmas, for, in spite of the shadow of her great 
losses, it was a bright and happy season for her. 
Every girl in the Thistle Troop was ready with a gift, 
and on Christmas Eve Penny was constantly trotting 
to the door to receive some whispered communication 
and a mysterious parcel which she promptly hid away 
in a certain drawer where other parcels paraded them- 
selves in tissue paper and bright ribbons. It was quite 
dark when Penny ushered Louise into the house. 
Both girls were giggling with excitement, and both 
were tired out, for they had been rushing madly about 
all day delivering baskets and attending to their own 
affairs. Davy was making weird noises with a tin 
horn and an improvised drum. Rilly, in the kitchen, 
was crooning over the finishing touches she was put- 
ting to her pies. Tommy Thistle, brave in a flaring 
red bow, sat in the front window framed by a holly 
wreath, “ making a Christmas card of himself,*' Penny 
said. Madam Gray had no such ambitions, resented 
being dressed up and lay stretched out upon the kitchen 
hearth dreaming of elusive mice instead of the catnip 
one which was dangling from the Christmas tree. The 
house had a mingled odor of spicy food and Christmas 


CHRISTMAS FUN AND FEASTS 


161 


greens, across which drifted the scent of violet sachet 
when Penny opened the drawer where Louise's gifts 
were secreted. 

Penny had not outgrown her desire to hang up her 
stocking. Next to hers she hung one for Louise, then 
came Davy's. In the gray light of early morning the 
two girls, sleeping together, heard Davy's whispered 
announcement : “ It's morning. Get up ! " 

“ Huh ? " said Penny, stirring sleepily. But the 
next minute both she and Louise were wide awake. 
“ Merry Christmas ! " said one to the other under her 
breath. They slipped on their wrappers and slippers 
and joined Davy waiting outside their door. Then 
the three stole to the door of Mr. and Mrs. Atwood's 
room to waken the sleepers with While shepherds 
watched their flocks by night," sung in fresh, childish 
voices. Then to their shouts of “ Merry Christmas ! " 
came answering ones from the room. After that the 
children scampered back, to grope for their stockings 
and to snuggle down under the covers while they ex- 
amined what was hidden within the bulging receptacles 
of little gifts. 

It was still dark when the tree was lighted and the 
gifts distributed. Penny was so busy in watching 
Louise and enjoying her delight over the pretty little 
party dress and the furs, not to mention the many less 
important presents, that she came near neglecting her 
own, for, in spite of the check which had been given to 
her in place of furs, she was not neglected, as she dis- 


162 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


covered when she came upon a bugle from her father 
and a dainty organdy party frock from her mother. 

“And I didn’t expect a thing ! ” she cried, dashing at 
her father to the detriment of the bugle. “ I did want 
a bugle awfully and this is such a beauty.” She put it 
to her lips and gave the call to mess, rather squeakily, 
to be sure, but an unmistakable call, which, as chance 
would have it, was followed by Rilly’s announcement 
that breakfast was ready. 

And so the day went happily till evening brought the 
excitement of the Boy Scouts’ entertainment in honor 
of the Girl Scouts. Many were the surmises concern- 
ing the character of this party, for the boys had kept 
their secret well, and all that was known was that the 
affair would wind up with a dance. 

Penny arrayed herself with great pride in her new 
organdy, but was scarcely less proud of Louise in her 
dainty silk tissue, rose-figured and with a pink sash 
which well suited her. The dresses were simply made, 
as was becoming to schoolgirls, and though at the last 
moment it was discovered that Louise had no slippers, 
this lack was finally supplied, though not till after a 
period of real anxiety on Penny’s part, for she was de- 
termined that Louise should appear as well dressed as 
any of the other girls. She went to her mother in true 
distress. “ Oh, Mother,” she said, “ what is to be 
done ? Louise has no slippers and how can she dance 
in heavy shoes, besides they won’t look well with that 
light frock.” 


CHEISTMAS FUN AND FEASTS 


163 


“We never thought of that, did we?” responded 
Mrs. Atwood, quite concerned. “ I don’t suppose she 
could wear an old pair of yours.” 

“ I would gladly lend her even my new ones, but 
they would drop off her feet, which are so much 
smaller than mine, and yours would be as bad.” 

Mrs. Atwood considered the question for a moment 
before saying: “ Perhaps one of the other girls has a 
pair she could lend Louise. What about Brownie ? ” 

“ Oh, Brownie’s feet are long and narrow, and 
Louise has funny little short feet, not very narrow.” 

“ Well, think over your friends and see if you can- 
not hit upon some one of them who has feet something 
like Louise’s.” 

Penny stood thoughtfully fingering the ends of her 
sash. She looked very sweet, her mother thought, like 
a representation of spring. The pale green organdy 
was very becoming, bringing more light to her hair and 
more color to her cheeks. She ran over the list of her 
friends, and finally said: “ I think Leila Sheldon is the 
only one who might {Possibly have shoes to fit. Shall I 
call her up ? ” 

“ By all means, and ask her if she would mind com- 
ing around this way and bringing the slippers if she 
chances to have a pair she is not going to wear.” 

“ I know she’ll do that in a minute. I’ll tell her not 
to mind if they are a little shabby for we can blacken 
them up.” 

She ran off and in due course of time came back 


164 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


with the information that Leila didn’t have any slip- 
pers but she did have a pair of pumps, which they had 
decided would do quite as well, and that she would 
bring them along presently. So Louise was properly 
shod, and the trio started for the hall where the enter- 
tainment was to take place. 

There was a great chattering going on in the room 
where the girls entered to take otf their wraps. Most 
of the Thistle Troop had arrived. Brownie came run- 
ning up as soon as she caught sight of Penny. “ The 
doors aren’t opened yet,” she said. ‘‘Aren’t they mak- 
ing a mystery of it? How sweet you look. Pen. I 
didn’t know you had a new party frock. Why didn’t 
you tell me ? ” 

“ I didn’t know it myself, that’s why. It was one 
of my Christmas gifts, and such a surprise, for I didn’t 
expect anything after that big check Father gave me, 
but I did get a whole lot of things. Dad gave me a 
bugle, and you will hear me tooting away most any 
time, then Mother gave the frock, for she said I needed 
it anyway. Auntie sent me these darling beads, and 
this love of a fan, so you see I am all dolled up for 
this special occasion without in the least expecting I 
would be.” 

“ Well, you always are lucky, you know. Where is 
Louise ? ” 

“ Over there with Leila. I want you to see her ; she 
is a dream in that frock. You never saw anyone so 
happy over her Christmas things; she actually cried. 


CHRISTM^ FUN AND FEASTS 


165 


Every girl in the troop sent her something and the 
Varneys did, too. She actually had more presents 
than I did. Did I hear someone say the doors were 
opened? Come on.’’ 

There was a rush for the big hall. As the girls 
flocked in they saw the room decorated with greens, 
flags and bunting. At the extreme end was a stage 
where sat an improvised orchestra. At a given signal 
from the much made up and bewhiskered leader there 
came such a blast as made every girl stand still and 
clap her hands to her ears. Then followed a curious 
combination of sounds in which harmony had no 
place, but in which the weirdest sort of instruments 
figured, the leader, meanwhile, going through the most 
exaggerated motions as he wielded his baton extrava- 
gantly. It was all very funny and for a moment the 
girls failed to see the real show. 

However, in a few moments their attention was 
drawn to the stalls ranged around the room where vari- 
ous side-shows were displayed. Here was a monstrous 
sea serpent into whose capacious jaws a would-be mer- 
maid thrust at intervals small china dolls. Close ex- 
amination disclosed the fact that the serpent’s eyes 
were made of large chocolate drops from which some of 
the coating had been cut away to show a white center. 
Next was a monkey cage where queer-looking creatures 
gambolled and made faces. Then was shown a much 
becurled singing doll, who was wound up vigorously 
by a person in red jacket and brass buttons, and who 


166 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


sang in sharp falsetto, ‘‘ Home, Sweet Home and 
'' The Last Rose of Summer,” but who broke down 
ignominiously with a strange squeak at an unexpected 
moment. 

At intervals from the upper end of the hall came a 
blood-curdling howl from the wild man of Borneo, 
who shook the bars of his cage vigorously and glared 
at visitors most horribly. Then there was a giant of 
prodigious height, upon whose knee sat — who but little 
Peter Nugent? — the pair being labelled, Chang, the 
Chinese giant, and Tom Thumb. Not a girl who did 
not recognize in the fat lady a well known member of 
the Boy Scout troop, Dicky — alias Fatty — Doyle, 
whose good-natured face broke into a broad grin as 
he perceived one after another of his acquaintances. 
The bearded lady was selling her photograph to the 
accompaniment of a ridiculous rigmarole which pur- 
ported to be her life history. 

Penny and her friends had scarcely completed their 
survey of the various stalls when there was a stir upon 
the stage and they turned to see a troop of trained 
animals under the control of a bespangled, short- 
skirted creature who snapped a whip, gave commands, 
and put through their stunts a motley collection of 
monkeys, dogs, cats and such like beasts, all too absurd 
for words. These climbed ladders, jumped through 
hoops, rode bicycles, played upon various instruments, 
and acted their parts with more or less credit; then 
came songs, solos and duets, the performance ending 


CHRISTMAS FUN AND FEASTS 


167 


with a short play which included many local hits and 
exhibited much cleverness upon the part of the boys 
who wrote it. 

Altogether it was an entertainment which anyone 
might enjoy, and many were the compliments showered 
upon the performers, who received their honors mod- 
estly but who felt repaid for their hard work by the 
enthusiasm it aroused. 

“ I think that last tableau of old Father Time and 
the New Year was perfectly lovely,’* Penny told Roy 
as they led off a folk dance. “ Where did you get that 
darling baby Year? ” 

“ It was my little sister,” said Roy, laughing. “ I 
persuaded Mother to come with her, and let her ap- 
pear just for those few minutes. I was afraid she 
would get stage fright, but she didn’t. If I hadn’t 
taken the part of old Father Time myself she might 
have been scared, but I kept whispering to her all the 
time, so she went through it all right.” 

“If only the new year could be as happy as she 
looked nobody would ask anything better,” said Penny. 
Then they gave attention to their steps and the dance 
went on. 

“How in the world did you happen upon Peter 
Nugent?” asked Penny as the dance was finished. 

Roy laughed. “ Don’t you imagine that there may 
be a Girl Scout who has a Boy Scout brother? All 
your lights aren’t hidden under bushels, my young 
friend. We heard all about Petey from Becky Cole, 


168 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


and straightway pressed him into service. He makes 
a good Tom Thumb, doesn’t he? We’ll get him into 
our ranks before long, for he is perfectly wild over us 
Boy Scouts. I never saw anyone more pleased than 
his mother was when we went there and asked her to 
let us have Peter for our show this evening.” 

“ Well, it certainly is the best show I ever saw,” de- 
clared Penny. Then Rufus came up to claim her for a 
dance. And so it went on till home-going time came 
around before anyone was ready for it, but not till 
after a dazzling Christmas tree appeared on the stage 
as if by magic, and a portly Santa Claus handed out 
gifts for everybody, most of them in the form of jokes, 
which added to the merriment. It was a gala event 
for them all, but probably no two of the company went 
home in such a bewildered state of happiness as the 
Belgian refugee, Louise Fallon, and the little errand 
boy, Peter Nugent. That Penny was escorted to her 
door by Father Time and Louise by the sea serpent 
did not in the least amaze the two girls, who bade their 
companions good-night quite as if they had’ been or- 
dinary mortals. 


CHAPTER XI 


BLOW, BUGLE, BLOW 


OMMY THISTLE was sitting on the fence 



A watching the sparrows. He had only lately 
taken to this form of amusement, as he had only lately 
taken to staying out nights, and had developed a voice 
of high range and great compass. To Penny’s great 
horror he had caught one sparrow which he laid at 
her feet in triumph, but despite the fact that she threw 
cold water, literally, upon this sport, chased him in- 
doors, scolded him, even switched him, he still pre- 
ferred the hunt to any other entertainment. Mean- 
while Penny was devoting herself assiduously to her 
bugle, upon which she tooted in season and out of 
season, a performance which no one resented more 
than Tommy Thistle, who at the first blast would flee 
to the furthest point beyond hearing that he could 
find. Why it should so affect his tender sensibilities 
no one knew, but that he did object he was always 
ready to show by prolonged and angry meows, and 
even by spitting and snarling whenever Penny started 
up a call upon her bugle. 

Her first efforts were far from musical. Indeed, 


170 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


they sounded like nothing so much as the bellowing of 
a cow, so perhaps it was no wonder that Tommy 
Thistle expressed his dislike. Brownie made all man- 
ner of fun of her friend and dubbed the bugle ‘‘ the 
purple cow,” by which name it was known henceforth 
by all her friends. 

All this raillery but added to Penny’s determination 
to sound the bugle calls better than anyone in her 
troop, and she practised diligently in spite of Tomrny 
Thistle’s pronounced objections and Brownie’s banter, 
and, it must be said, sometimes to the complaints of 
her family. 

Tommy Thistle was sitting on the fence when he 
heard Penny’s warning blast. She had just discovered 
that this was the best means of dislodging Tommy 
Thistle, and had come to the door for that purpose. 
Down jumped Master Tommy, and with tail erect and 
every hair bristling he dashed past her to hide himself 
in the kitchen’s furthest corner, from which every now 
and then came a protesting growl. 

Having driven Tommy away from the sparrows. 
Penny continued her bugle calls, going through the 
entire number before she stopped. Just as she was 
turning back into the house a voice said: “ Well, I hope 
you are through with that performance. Here I have 
been calling you for the past ten minutes and I could 
no more make you hear me than I could a post.” 

‘‘ Well, you see. Brownie,” Penny replied, “ I came 
out to drive Tommy in. He was watching the spar- 


‘‘BLOW, BUGLE, BLOW 


171 


rows and I am so afraid he will capture another one. 
I have just discovered that he loathes the bugle and 
will get out of hearing as quickly as he can when I 
begin to play.” 

One can’t much blame him,” replied Brownie teas- 
ingly, “ though I must say you are improving. I have 
half a mind to get a drum. Wouldn’t we make a pair? 
There is one thing about it, when we wanted the place 
to ourselves we need only begin to practise and every- 
one would give us a wide berth. There would be some 
method in that. Come along; you know there is to 
be a rally this afternoon, so you may as well let me 
take care of the purple cow while you get ready. You 
will want to make your bugle calls, you know.” 

“Of course I remember that there is to be a rally, 
although I forget what is the special interest this after- 
noon.” 

“ The usual exercises at first, of course, and then 
cooking tests by some of the Tenderfoots.” 

“ Good!” 

“ Why do you say good till you have tried them ? 
It is my experience that it is not wise to pronounce on 
such stunts till you have tasted. Have you forgotten 
the time you, my young miss, put mustard instead of 
ginger in what was to be gingerbread ? ” 

“ Don’t remind me of that hideous experience. I 
could have sunk through the floor from embarrass- 
ment. It looked so good, too, as light as a feather, 
then that horrible taste.” 


172 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Oh, well, that’s over and past. You needn’t worry 
about it now for your gingerbread is a model for any 
girl in the troop. ‘ To err is human,’ as Roy is fond 
of reminding us.” 

Penny went in while Brownie took the opportunity 
of testing her skill upon the bugle. She didn’t suc- 
ceed very well and told Penny when she appeared that 
she had decided to get a drum. “ But,” she declared, 
“ I will have to seek the highways and hedges unless 
I want to drive my mother crazy.” 

You’ll have to wait for warmer weather for high- 
ways and hedges,” remarked Penny, picking up her 
bugle to give a final blast. This had the effect of dry- 
ing' Tommy Thistle back into the house, from which 
he was just emerging, ears back and tail twice its 
size. 

The girls laughed and went on their way, soon ar- 
riving at the schoolroom, where they met for most of 
their rallies. It was a big airy room, the main hall of 
the building. There were classrooms above and be- 
low was the gymnasium which opened upon pleasant 
grounds. In these the girls could practise their exer- 
cises at any time, and they made the most of their op- 
portunities. Now, however, it was cold for basket- 
ball or tennis, and the gymnasium was more popular 
than outdoors. On mild days one could see groups of 
girls gathered in corners to struggle with lengths of 
rope in which they essayed to tie intricate knots, but 
now there were no such earnest workers, no students 


<‘BLOW, BUGLE, BLOW^» 173 

of First Aid, no wigwagging, for the trees were bare, 
and the girls shuffled through paths covered with fallen 
leaves, to reach the warm, sunny room, made attractive 
by plants in the windows and pictures on the walls. 

Miss Varney was already on hand with Becky Cole, 
while three anxious little Tenderfoots sat whispering 
together in one corner of the big room. ‘‘Are we the 
first ? ” asked Penny. 

“ Yes, for a wonder,” replied Becky. 

“ It has happened before,” returned Brownie, going 
over to where the Tenderfoots sat. “ I do hope you 
have something awfully good, children,” she said, 
sitting down. 

Little Lucy Wilbur smiled. “ I have,” she said con- 
fidently. 

Then the door opened to admit another group of 
girls and presently Penny's bugle call assembled the 
whole troop except one or two belated stragglers who 
hurried in at the last moment and breathlessly took 
their places in the marching ranks already beginning 
their drill. 

Then came some wigwagging tests in which Monica 
became hopelessly mixed, and gave up the flags to 
Brownie, who acquitted herself much more creditably. 

At last arrived the moment to which all the girls had 
been looking forward, considering it the crowning 
pleasure of the afternoon. Lucy Wilbur proudly ad- 
vanced with a covered basket from which she pro- 
duced a dish of stuffed eggs. These she set upon a 


174 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TROOP 


table already spread with paper napkins and paper 
plates. 

“ Eggs ! ” exclaimed Brownie, “ and they are so 
tremendously dear ! ” 

“ But we keep hens,” explained Lucy. 

Next Ruth Shields set out a plate of biscuits. Irene 
Miller opened a box of peanut brittle. Then the 
three devoted themselves most seriously to the making 
of cocoa which they served in cups brought from home. 
Unfortunately, however, no one had thought of bring- 
ing sugar, and there was great consternation when this 
was discovered. The three little girls looked at one 
another aghast. “ What can we do ? ” exclaimed 
Lucy. “ Nobody likes sugarless cocoa.” 

“And if we go back home to get it the cocoa will all 
get cold and that would be worse still,” declared Ruth. 
Irene said nothing but stood looking sorrowfully at 
the steaming cups. 

“Whafs the matter, girls?” asked Miss Varney, 
rising from her seat at the head of the table and coming 
over to the little group. 

“We didn’t bring a speck of sugar,” Ruth informed 
her, “ and cocoa without sugar is just nothing at all. 
We can’t sweeten it with peanut brittle, and it will all 
get cold if we don’t serve it right away. What can 
we do ? ” 

“ Oh, that’s an easy problem,” returned Miss Varney 
cheerfully. “ Dump all the cocoa back in the pot ; it 
will be all the better for a little more cooking. My 


“BLOW, BUGLE, BLOW^' 


176 


house is nearest, so just run over there and ask my 
mother to give you the sugar you wifi need/' 

“ But can you spare it ? " asked Lucy. “ It is very 
hard to get, you know.” 

‘‘ I am sure we can easily spare it, for we use very 
little and I happen to know that we have a supply on 
hand.” 

“ Oh, Miss Varney, I always thought you were an 
angel,” said Lucy, “ but now I know it.” 

“ Don’t stop to talk about angels,” said the more 
practical Ruth, “ but let’s hurry and get that sugar.” 

“ Don’t let the girls eat up all the biscuits and eggs 
before they get the cocoa,” was Lucy’s parting charge 
as she ran after Ruth. 

Miss Varney went back to the table where the girls, 
indeed, had begun to test the tempting fare before 
them. “ Don’t be in too great a hurry, girls,” Miss 
Varney warned them. '‘We must wait for sugar 
which the girls forgot to bring. They will be back in 
a minute, so restrain your appetites.” 

" It is going to be mighty hard for me to restrain 
mine; I am simply suffering for one of those eggs,” 
confessed Penny. 

“If those things taste as good as they look,” said 
Leila Sheldon, “ those girls will have no trouble in 
winning their badges.” 

“ Speaking of badges,” said Penny, “ I showed mine 
to Rilly, and she was consumed with envy, so yester- 
day she told me that her society was going to have 


176 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


badges, too, and she meant to win one for cooking ; she 
will, too. She asked me if I wouldn’t make one for 
her.” 

“ Of course you will,” said Leila. ** What is Rilly’s 
true name, by the way ? ” 

“Amaryllis, if you please, Amaryllis Cyarter, as she 
tells you. The name of her society is ‘ Sons and 
Daughters of Moses,’ I believe. Do somebody tell a 
funny story or sing something while we are waiting 
for that sugar; I want my mind taken off the subject 
of food.” 

“ One would suppose you had had no dinner,” re- 
marked Brownie, laughing. “ I wonder why it is that 
most girls are ready to eat at any old time.” 

“ They aren’t in it with boys,” declared Leila. 

“ Or young robins,” Penny put in, to the amuse- 
ment of the Test. 

By this time the two Tenderfoots had returned with 
the sugar and all fell to with appetites which bore out 
Brownie’s statement, for there was not a biscuit nor 
an egg left when the feast was over, and the three 
Tenderfoots were so greatly praised that there was 
not the slightest doubt but that they had passed this 
test well. They had already accomplished the task of 
tying certain knots, and other required tests, and were 
now ready to become real Girl Scouts. They busied 
themselves in clearing off the table, leaving what re- 
mained of the peanut taffy to be handed around at in- 
tervals. 


'^BLOW, BUGLE, BLOW” 


177 


“ It seems to me that a folk dance would be in 
order,” said Miss Varney. “Who has a new one?” 

“ Louise, Louise,” cried one and another. “ She 
knows a lot more than any of us.” 

So, for the next half hour they all followed the 
pretty steps, keeping time to the cheerful little French 
air which Louise sang. The little foreigner was so 
anxious to be one of them, to show her appreciation of 
the hospitality offered that it was really pathetic to see 
how eager she was to be of use. She was rapidly be- 
coming a great favorite with the girls, who found her 
stories of the war, her little foreign songs and plays 
most entertaining. 

Penny's bugle call brought the dancing to an end. 
“ Exercise enough, girls,” said Miss Varney. “ Now 
let us have some quiet sort of play. What shall it 
be?” 

“ Circumstances ! ” cried Becky. 

“ Limericks,” proposed Brownie. 

“ 'Pon Honor,” suggested Penny. 

“ What’s ’Poll Honor ? ” asked two or three. 

“ It’s an old-fashioned game my mother told me 
about,” Penny informed them. “ You all sit in a 
circle, one person in the middle, and each of the others 
asks the middle one a question which she is bound to 
answer with absolute truth.” 

“ Let’s try it. It might be lots of fun,” said 
Brownie. 

The others agreed and the questioning began. At 


178 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


first the queries were easily answered, but grew more 
exciting as they struck a more personal note. Leila 
was covered with embarrassment when she was asked 
to. name her most charming qualities; Penny could not 
make up her mind to answer the question: “If not 
yourself which of us girls would you rather be?” 
Brownie, however, stood by her guns when she was 
asked to name her chief faults, and gave such a list 
of them that she brought forth more protests than en- 
dorsements, and there arose quite a clamor of argu- 
ment, so that Brownie retired with more acclaim than 
she thought she deserved. Becky, however, did not 
come off so well, for someone took up the idea of 
asking an opinion of each of the other girls from the 
one in the center, who, in this case, happened to be 
Brownie. 

“ What is your opinion of Becky Cole ? ” came the 
question. 

“ I think she is very clever,” replied Brownie 
promptly. 

“ What do you think is ber chief fault ? ” spoke up 
the next. 

“ Oh, dear, must I tell?” 

“ Indeed you must ; it's 'pon honor, you know,” 
declared Penny. 

Brownie glanced at Becky. “ You won't be angry, 
Becky? ” 

“ No, of course not.” 

“ Well, then, I think that sometimes in her desire to 


“BLOW, BUGLE, BLOW » 179 

be smart she forgets to be. kind, at least not really 
polite.” 

“ Is that true? ” Becky appealed to the others. 

No one spoke for a moment and then Brownie had 
the courage to say: ''You know this is 'pon honor, 
Becky.” 

Becky was silent for a moment. She was struggling 
between anger and contriteness. She knew she did 
not hesitate to sacrifice even her friends to her reputa- 
tion of saying smart caustic things especially wound- 
ing to those who were sensitive. After a time con- 
trition got the better of self-esteem and she drew a 
long sigh. " I am sorry,” she confessed. “ I didn’t 
realize that the habit was growing upon me.” 

Brownie was the first to praise. " Good old Beck ! 
Now we know that you are a real Girl Scout. That 
took courage, and moral courage is much harder to 
acquire than physical courage is, in my opinion.” 

" Oh, dear, don’t I know that ? ” sighed Monica. 
" It is the hardest thing in the world for me to say no. 
I crawfish out of it every chance I get even though my 
conscience may be flaying me all the time. I hate to 
hurt anyone’s feelings and I hate to seem disobliging. 
What does make me so compliant ? ” 

" I reckon it’s ' wanity,’ ” Brownie asserted ; " at 
least that’s what Mother says it is. The same thing 
that makes us want to be admired , for being witty and 
smart and amusing makes us want to be admired for 
being agreeable and accommodating, so there you have 


180 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 


one and the same motive for two entirely opposite 
things.” 

“ It is really dreadful how often we do forget to be 
nice to each other,” said Becky, still contrite. ‘‘As 
Girl Scouts we should never forget to be courteous to 
all, even to those of our own age, and we do forget, 
often and often. Here am I, patrol leader, and I 
doubt if anyone says meaner things than I do. I vow 
I will try my best not to say sharp things again no 
matter how smart I think they are.” 

“After all,” said Leila, “ smart, personal things, 
especially when they have a groundwork of truth, are 
never kind, and above all things we want to be kind.” 

“ Mother says that true politeness is only another 
name for thoughtfulness and kindness,” Brownie con- 
tinued, “ and that a really thoughtful person is always 
polite no matter what the station in life.” 

“ What should we do without our mothers? ” cried 
Penny. “They are the greatest institution in the 
world. I don’t know where any of us would get with- 
out them.” 

This speech, commendable as it was, brought a pang 
to at least two present, to Louise, who had no mother, 
and to Monica, whose mother was of the kind which 
Penny had designated as “ scatter-brained,” and who 
was of no earthly good in counselling her daughter. 

It was Brownie who changed the subject by saying: 
“ How very serious we are growing. I know it is the 
end of the year, and we should all be making good 


“BLOW, BUGLE, BLOW'^ 


181 


resolutions, but don’t let’s do it when we are eating 
taffy.” The plates were handed around again and 
soon the company had recovered their high spirits. 

Then Miss Varney, who had gone up to her class- 
room for a while, returned to see her girls playing 
leap-frog, and growing so merry over it that half of 
them were disqualified, lying prone on the floor shaking 
with laughter. They all sprang to their feet at sight 
of their Captain and saluted with such gravity as they 
could summon. 

“ Please excuse us, Miss Varney,” said Becky apolo- 
getically, “ but Brownie was so absurd she set us all 
off.” 

“ There is really nothing to excuse,” Miss Varney 
told her. “ That is a nice healthful exercise, and 
laughter doesn’t hurt anyone. We’ll have a song or 
two and then our closing exercises.” 

They were still singing when they trooped up the 
street, a rosy-cheeked, khaki-clad company, Penny 
with her bugle taking the lead with Becky. At the 
corner came the bugle call which meant: “Scatter!” 
There were cheerful good-nights and in groups of 
twos and threes they all went in the direction of their 
own homes. 

It was when they were going to bed that night that 
Penny noticed an unusually sad expression upon 
Louise’s face. She wondered what could be wrong. 
Louise had gradually lost the mournful droop of her 
mouth, the terrified, hunted look in her eyes, and 


182 LUCKY PEKKY OF THISTLE TROOP 


seemed likely to become as happy a little girl as any 
of her companions. What had happened to bring 
back the cloud upon her face? Penny resolved to 
find out, so she went up to her little friend and put her 
arms around her. “ What’s the matter, Louise ? ” she 
asked. “ Is it anything I have said or done ? ” 

Louise shook her head but the tears welled up into 
her eyes. 

‘‘ Has anyone hurt your feelings? ” 

Down went Louise’s head upon Penny’s shoulder. 
“ It is nossing zat anyone has done,” she sobbed. 
“ You are all too kind to me, a poor orphan. But to- 
day I am sinking zat I have no modzer, no home. 
When zey say, ‘ What should we do wissout our mod- 
zers ? ’ I am forced to remember zat I have none, and 
zat I do not know where will be my home. All are so 
kind to me. I love so all zese new friends, and when 
I sink it may soon be zat I part from zem, and go I 
know not where to someone who perhaps will give me 
ze home because of duty not of love I am in despair.” 

'' Oh, but Louise, you must not look for such an 
unhappy lot. You may have quite the opposite experi- 
ence ; you may find a mother who will love you dearly. 
1 mean to ask my mother to let you stay here till the 
very rightest one comes along. Please don’t cry, 
Louise. I will tell my mother that I will divide every- 
thing with you. In case you must leave Miss Varney, 
I will beg her to let you come back to us and stay till 
the real true mother is found for you.” 


‘‘BLOW, BUGLE, BLOW^' 


183 


** Oh, Penny, my Penny, how you are a comforter,” 
said Louise, wiping her eyes. ‘‘ It is so wonderful 
that you say zis. I will have the same faith and not 
again abandon myself to despair.” 

So, although Louise’s thoughts wandered back to 
the old life, to Belgium and the beloved ones she had 
left there, she went to sleep with Penny’s arms around 
her and a smile upon her lips. 


CHAPTER XII 


THE SKATING CARNIVAL 

P ENNY did not forget her promise, and lost no 
time in fulfilling it. The holidays were nearly 
over and it was taken for granted that Louise’s visit 
would end at the same time, although no set time had 
been mentioned. That the little refugee would return 
to Miss Varney’s was taken as a matter of course. 
She now had acquired a sufficient knowledge of Eng- 
lish to make it possible for her to enter school, and the 
principal of the school, which Penny and most of her 
friends attended, had offered to take her, free of 
charge, for the remainder of the session. 

While the matter was fresh in her mind Penny 
found the opportunity of having a heart to heart talk 
with her mother when she was alone. She drew up a 
chair and seated herself very solemnly in front of 
Mrs. Atwood when this lady was in her room doing 
some mending. 

“ Mother,” began Penny, I want to talk to you 
very seriously.” 

“ That is what one might infer from your appear- 
ance. What have I been doing? ” 

184 


THE SKATING CARNIVAL 


185 


“ Now, Mother, I am not joking. This really is 
serious; it is about Louise. Have you any idea of 
where she is going? ” 

Do you mean from here ? I suppose she is going 
back to Miss Varney, isn’t she?” 

‘*Yes, but after that; I mean where is she going 
when Miss Varney gives her up? Nobody in town 
seems inclined to give her a home for always, and now 
that she has friends here who love her it would be 
ghastly to send her to some place away off where we 
couldn’t get at her or find out how she was being 
treated. You love her, Mother, don’t you? ” 

“ Why, yes, I am very fond of her. She is a dear 
child, and I don’t see why you should fear that any- 
one would wish to ill treat her.” 

Perhaps not exactly that, but she might not be 
loved like a real daughter, and she ought to be.” 

“ I am afraid it would be hard for anyone to do that 
immediately, without having a chance to find out her 
good qualities.” 

“ Could you love her like a daughter ? ” 

Mrs. Atwood leaned over and kissed her own child’s 
earnest face. “I couldn’t do that while I have my 
own dear little girl to love, I am afraid.” 

“ But suppose you should lose me.” 

“Why, my dear, what a dreadful suggestion. 
Aren’t you feeling well?” Mrs. Atwood smiled as 
she spoke. 

“ Oh, yes, perfectly, but I was only thinking that it 


186 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


would be very nice to have someone to take my place 
in case I shouldn't live." 

‘‘ Isn't that rather far-fetched ? What are you driv- 
ing at, Penny? Out with it. Let's get at what is in 
your mind." 

‘‘Well, Mother dear, it is just this: I can't bear 
the idea of having Louise go off among strangers. 
You have said yourself that Miss Varney is very good 
to keep her on like this, and of course she is, but she 
was going to inquire around during the holidays and 
if she couldn’t find anyone willing to take Louise, why 
Louise would have to go, and what I want is to have 
Louise to stay with us till someone in our own town 
offers her a home. Why can't she ? " 

“ Well, dear, for several reasons. In the first place 
it might become a permanent thing and I do not see 
how we could afford, in these hard times, to clothe 
and educate another daughter." 

“ She could have half my things," put in Penny 
eagerly, “ and I would wear old ones ; then, you know 
Miss Darby has said she would let her come to our 
school without charge for the rest of the year." 

“ Yes, I remember that, but it doesn't do away with 
the future years. If we were to adopt Louise we 
should expect to pay for her education just as we do 
for yours. It would not be just otherwise." 

This aspect of affairs had not occurred to Penny. 
She thought it over before she said hesitatingly: “ We 
could go to the public school." 


THE SKATING CAENIVAL 


187 


“ Yes, you could do that, but would you be willing 
to give up the school you are so fond of, your school- 
mates who mean so much to you, and all the interests 
connected with the school ? ” 

Penny considered this. It would be hard, she began 
to realize. No longer would Brownie be her desk- 
mate, and she could not have Louise, who would be 
obliged to enter a lower class. No longer would there 
be the special group of friends to talk with over school 
matters, nor the teachers, her dearly loved Miss 
Varney, and others scarcely less to be regretted. True, 
Louise might go to the public schpol and Penny to 
Miss Darby's, and there would always be the Girl 
Scouts, most of whom, in the Thistle Troop, came from 
the same school. Penny sighed. Her enthusiasm be- 
gan to wane till she remembered Louise's tears, then 
she said firmly: “Yes, I'd give up all that and more 
for Louise." 

Mrs. Atwood met this in silence. She had done her 
best to show her daughter the extent of the sacrifices 
she would be called upon to make, and still Penny was 
true to Louise. It might be as well to settle the matter 
at once by saying it would not be possible, yet there 
were Penny's appealing eyes which her mother could 
not withstand, so she put off the evil day by saying: 
“ Well, dear, I shall have to think it over and speak to 
your father about it. You must remember that no 
matter how I might wish to decide he must have a 
voice in the decision, too." 


188 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TROOP 


‘‘ Of course I realize that,” returned Penny, “ but 
won’t you please ask him how he would feel if he had 
been killed in battle, and you had died by the wayside 
and Davy were a prisoner and I were over in Belgium 
among strangers without a home ? ” 

She was so in earnest that her mother could not 
smile at the absurdity of such a situation, nor did she 
suggest a better way of stating the case, so she an- 
swered: “Very well, dear, we will let the question 
rest for the present.” 

5 “And meanwhile Louise can stay here ? ” 

['■ “That will depend upon what Miss Varney says, 
for, after all, it is she who is responsible for her and 
who should be consulted upon any matter concerning 
Louise.” 

So Penny went off half satisfied and the question 
was not brought up again for some time. In the first 
place Louise was to enter school, and must be cham- 
pioned and looked after by those of her friends who 
attended, then, the weather having turned suddenly 
cold, there were new sports to attract both boys and 
girls, skating being first and foremost in favor. It 
was not learned who the person was who proposed an 
ice carnival when skating should be at its best, but 
someone did and the idea was taken up with great 
enthusiasm. Penny was full of it. She came home 
from school overflowing with excitement. “ Oh, 
Mother,” she cried, “ won’t it be fun ? There is to be 
a skating carnival. Everybody is going to dress up 


THE SKATING CAENIVAL 


189 


and wear a mask, and there is to be a prize for the best 
skating girl and the best skating boy. Oh, me, 
wouldn't I like to get it! What would you wear? 
It’s costume, you know, and there will be all sorts of 
lights and decorations and things like that.” 

“We shall have to see what is in the house that 
will do to make up for a costume. What would you 
like to wear ? ” 

“ I don’t know. Brownie is going as a gnome, and 
Monica thinks she will go as a fairy.” 

“ Won’t a fairy costume be rather cool? ” 

“ Oh, she can wear wadding or something under the 
frilly things and be warm enough. Rufus is going to 
be Jack Frost, I believe, and Dan wants to go as an 
Esquimau.” 

“ Which shows excellent judgment on Dan’s part, 
if it should be cold.” 

“ Little Red Riding Hood might be a nice warm 
costume, or else something furry. I might go as a 
pussy cat ; I think that would be funny.” 

Her mother laughed. “ I think so, too. We shall 
have to see what can be done to make a pussy cat of 
my kitten. Does Louise skate ? ” 

“ I don’t know. I never thought to ask her. I’ll 
find out. By the way. Mother, Miss Varney wants 
Louise to come back, for a while anyway. Someone 
is coming to see her. Miss Varney, I mean, but she 
wants to see Louise, too. I have an idea, I don’t really 
know, mind you, but I have an idea that the visiting 


190 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 

person wants to look Louise over with a view to adopt- 
ing her/* 

I wouldn’t mention that idea to Louise, for it 
might make her very conscious and so ill at ease that 
she would not appear at her best.” 

“If anyone were going to adopt me I should want 
that person to see me at my worst so she wouldn’t be 
disappointed when I didn’t behave myself.” 

“ There is something in that, I admit, for no one 
can be expected to be on good behavior every day in 
the year.” 

“ You will ask Louise to come back to us, won’t you, 
after the visiting lady has disappeared ? ” 

“ Suppose she decides to take Louise along with 
her.” 

“ Oh, dear, suppose she does. Well, if she doesn’t 
live in this town I hope she will not want her. Oh, 
dear, I hope she lives in this town, and is just as nice 
as she can be. If it doesn’t happen to be that way, 
what are we going to do ? ” 

“We won’t cross that bridge yet. When is the 
carnival to be ? ” 

“ It depends upon the ice. We are all going to 
get ready and then dash at it when the favorable after- 
noon comes. Do you think you could make a pussy 
cat dress for me? ” 

“ Why, I think so. I have the fur lining of a cloak 
which I am not using, and which I think I could con- 
trive to make into a catty affair.” 


THE SKATING CAENIVAL 


191 


“ With a long tail and a pair of furry ears, and a 
catty mask, won’t I look fine? If you want a pattern. 
Mother, you can take Madam Gray.” 

She went off quite full of her plans. She was a 
good skater, one of the best among the girls, and had 
excellent reason to think she might win the prize. She 
turned over in her mind the girls who might possibly 
be her rivals, but she could think of none who had any 
better chance than she did. She had not bargained 
upon Louise and little dreamed that her friendship 
would soon be put to a sharp test. 

Louise returned to Miss Varney’s that same even- 
ing, and partly because she was a trifle lonely Penny 
got out her skates and went down to the pond to prac- 
tise. Brownie, too, was there and came skimming up 
to her. “ Where is Louise ? ” she asked. 

“ She’s gone back to Miss Varney’s.” 

Oh, has she ? Penny, did you know that she can 
skate like a breeze ? ” 

“ No, I didn’t know. How did you find out? ” 

“ One of the girls told me, but she has no skates, and 
she said she couldn’t join in the carnival contest on 
account of that. I have been watching you, Pen, and 
I prophesy that you’ll be the winner.” 

“ Oh, do you really think I stand a chance ? ” 

“ Of course I do. The only girl who could out- 
skate you is Dolly Whiting, and she has gone to board- 
ing school, you know.” 

Penny performed a few graceful flourishes, and 


192 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 

then returned to where she had left Brownie. “ Becky 
Cole isn't half bad," she remarked. 

‘‘ She can skate fast enough, but she is so ungrace- 
ful ; she'll never be the winner." 

Penny skimmed away again and came back to ask: 
“ What about your costume ? " 

“ Oh, I've settled on the gnome ; it will be dead easy 
to get up. What about yours ? " 

“A pussy cat, I think." 

“ Oh, Pen, I wouldn't.” 

“ Why not? " 

‘‘It won’t be half so effective as something else. 
You should get up something graceful and bewitch- 
ing." 

“ Well, aren't cats graceful? ” 

“ Yes, but they go on four legs, which you will not 
do, and besides I think if you should wear a comic cos- 
tume like that you could not skate half so well, for it 
will be clumsy and, besides, an attractive dress will be 
likely to have much to do with winning the prize.” 

“ I hadn't thought of that,” confessed Penny. 
“ Well, I'll see. I have not really made up my mind.” 

“ Well, take my advice and wear something pretty 
and becoming.” 

Penny made no answer to this, but took off her 
skates and declared she must be going home. 

“ You haven't heard what the prizes are to be, have 
you ? ” Brownie called after her as she stood gracefully 
poised on her skates. 


THE SKATING CAENIVAL 


193 


** No,” returned Penny, turning back. ** Have you 
heard?” 

“They're perfectly dandy ones; complete skating 
outfits from skates to caps.” 

“ Oh, Brown, how wonderful. Who is giving 
them?” 

“ Some member of the golf club, I believe, Mr. 
Hodges, I think.” 

“ Well, that will be worth working for,” responded 
Penny. 

All the way home she was thinking, thinking, and 
struggling with herself. The battle was not over 
when she reached her room, where she sat down by the 
window and looked out upon the bare winter land- 
scape. She knew perfectly well what she should do, 
but it was hard to bring herself to do it. For a while 
she indulged in visions of Penny Atwood, ravishly at- 
tired in a bewitching costume, the observed of all ob- 
servers, as she gracefully skated up to receive the prize, 
but suddenly she shook her head frowningly at the 
vision, sprang from her seat and rushed up to the 
attic, coming back with a pair of skates dangling from 
her hand. Again she sat down, regarded the skates 
thoughtfully, then impatiently kicked them into a cor- 
ner. “ I just can't do it,” she murmured. Then she 
ran down-stairs humming a little tune, and finally came 
upon her mother in the library. 

“ Well, honey,” said Mrs. Atwood, “ have you de- 
cided to be a pussy cat ? ” 


194 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


** Well, no, not quite,” Penny answered. “ I have 
been thinking, at least Brownie suggested, that some- 
thing very fetching, very stunning in the way of a cos- 
tume would be more likely to attract attention and help 
win the prize than something merely funny. What do 
you think ? ” 

“ Brownie may be right. Let us see what we could 
devise. Something in the way of a Frost Queen, or a 
snow fairy might be pretty, blue and silver for the 
queen, a silver crown, and glittering icicles trimming, 
a sort of tunic, might be managed and could be made 
very effective.” 

‘‘ That would be lovely,” agreed Penny. ‘‘ One of 
the boys is going to be Jack Frost, Rufus, you know, 
and he is much the best skater.” Again she saw the 
picture of herself receiving the prize, but this time she 
skated up to the stand clad as a Frost Queen, and in 
company with Rufus, as Jack Frost. It was an allur- 
ing prospect. 

She was silent so long that her mother finally looked 
at her questioningly. ‘‘ Well, dear, where have you 
wandered? Shall it be the Frost Queen?” 

Penny hesitated. She wanted to answer yes then 
and there, but there was that tugging at the sleeve of 
her conscience. Why couldn^t Duty keep away and 
stop whispering? “ I think I’ll sleep on it,” she said. 
“ Which would be the most troublesome to make ? ” 

‘‘ Of the three? ” 

‘‘ Yes, of the three.” 


THE SKATING CARNIVAL 


195 


“ Really I don’t know. One would be just about 
as much work as the others, but don’t let that trouble 
you. I can get Miss Bodley to come in and help, but 
don’t put off your decision too long, or I shall not be 
able to get her.” 

“ I’ll tell you to-morrow. Mother dear, and you are 
a darling to be so ready to let me have my way.” She 
stooped and kissed her mother and went back again to 
her own room, picked up the discarded skates and ex- 
amined them critically. Pig, pig, pig,” she whis- 
pered to herself, ‘‘ with a dear mother, and all you 
have, to want to stand in the way of that poor little 
girl. I am mortally ashamed of you, Samantha Pen- 
rose Atwood! Yes, you deserve to be called Saman- 
tha, a horrid, jealous, vain thing like you. And after 
professing to care so much not to want to give up the 
very first thing that comes in the way.” She made a 
face at herself in the glass and shook her fist at the 
mocking image. ‘‘ I will, yes, I will. I’m not going 
to give you a chance to change your mind, Samantha, 
you disagreeable ugly creature. Don’t you dare laugh 
at me,” for in spite of herself she had to laugh at the 
face she was twisting into such absurd contortions. 

Then she scrambled into her hat and coat, picked 
up the skates and dashed off, coming back within half 
an hour, rosy and smiling. She put her head into the 
door of the room where she had left her mother, 
and said: ‘‘Mother, I am not going to wait till morning 
to make up my mir.d. I have decided that I would 


196 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


rather be a cat than a queen.” Then she rushed up to 
her room to make ready for supper, coming down 
before it was ready and dancing out into the kitchen 
to tease Rilly. Catching up Madam Gray by the 
paws she began dancing around the room with her, to 
the sedate creature’s disgust and Rilly’s objections. 
What in de name o’ grief you doin’ dat-away ? ” 
inquired Rilly. “ Ain’ you see ole Gray don’ lak 
it?” 

“ Oh, she doesn’t mind, at least not very much,” re- 
plied Penny, cuddling the cat in her arms. “ I 
wouldn’t hurt her for the world, would I, Madam 
Gray? You see, Rilly, I am going to turn into a cat 
myself pretty soon and I ought to know just how she 
feels.” 

“ Law, Miss Penny, you talkin’ cl’ar nonsense,” said 
Rilly. 

“ No, I am not. I am telling you the plain truth. 
You’ll see if I am not a great big cat pretty soon. 
You needn’t look at me that way. You ask Mother.” 

“ Law, chile, you foolin’. Ain’ nobody gwine cun- 
jur you into dat respecks. Dey mought make you 
think you look lak a cat, but you ain’t, jes de same.” 

“ You go ask Mother,” Penny went on, her eyes 
full of laughter. 

Rilly dropped the spoon with which she was stirring 
some batter and waddled majestically out of the room, 
coming back presently with Mrs. Atwood, who asked: 
“ What in the world have you been saying to Rilly? ” 


THE SKATING CARNIVAL 


197 


“ I just told her I was going to turn into a cat and 
you know I am, Mother.” 

Mrs. Atwood laughed. “ You shouldn’t be stuffing 
Rilly with such tales. Miss Penny is going to a skat- 
ing carnival, Rilly,” she explained, and she is going to 
dress up to look like a cat.” 

“ I say cat,” exclaimed Rilly, chuckling. 

“You mustn’t tell anyone,” Penny cautioned her, 
“ for we are going to wear masks. Of course we do 
know some of the costumes that are to be worn, but as 
a general thing we don’t want it known. You must 
come down to the pond and see us, mustn’t she, 
Mother? We can have a late supper that evening, 
can’t we? It is to be from four to six, so it will be 
dark enough for the lights, the illuminations, you see.” 

“ That can be arranged very well, and I am sure 
we shall all want to be there,” Mrs. Atwood rejoined. 

“What dat Davy chile w’ar?” asked Rilly solicit- 
ously. 

“ Oh, dear me, I hadn’t thought of that,” declared 
Penny, looking at her mother. “ Of course he can 
dress up, anyone can, I suppose. Do you think he 
will want to ? ” 

“ Very probably he will, if you do. I can easily get 
up some sort of rig,” her mother told her. 

Penny considered the matter for a moment before 
she exclaimed: “ Wouldn’t it be fun if he could dress 
as an owl? The owl and the pussy cat, you know. 
Would that be possible ? ” 


198 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TBOOP 


Mrs. Atwood smiled at the idea and said: ‘‘We’ll 
see.” So it was left and Penny went off very happy 
that Duty no longer chided her and that she had 
turned over to the Fates any responsibility in the 
matter of winning a prize. 

Davy was highly excited when told that he might 
appear in costume at the carnival, and wished to be 
an owl above all things. “ Then I can hoot,” he an- 
nounced, and from then on he went around uttering 
hoots so often that he was in danger of disclosing the 
secret of his costume which really turned out remark- 
ably well. Mrs. Atwood found an old plush cloak 
which she daubed with paint in imitation of an owl’s 
feathers. It was too long, of course, but the part cut 
off served to make a close cap to imitate an owl’s 
head, and with a big-eyed mask Davy made a very 
creditable owl. As for Penny she was the funniest 
looking cat ever, yet distinctly a cat. Davy declared 
he was almost afraid of her, she was so big, and Rilly 
almost rolled on the floor in amusement when she 
saw the pair, but was ready to declare that no power 
on earth would keep her away from the carnival. 

“ I nuvver espe’ted to see mah baby gwine ’round 
lak a ole booty owl,” she said, “ but he sholy are a owl, 
an’ Miss Penny she speak de troof when she say cat, 
but you hyar me, I don’t want no sich cat in mah 
kitchen.” 

Then came a thaw and there was no carnival that 
week, but everyone anxiously read the weather reports 
and never was a cold wave more eagerly looked for. 


CHAPTER Xm 


THE PRIZES 

A t last came the cold wave and the big pond was 
frozen over solidly. Big posters appeared. The 
carnival actually was to take place. As may be 
imagined, little else was talked of by the young people, 
for no one over a certain age was allowed to compete 
for the prizes. Costumes were much discussed. 
There were many conjectures as to what this or that 
one would wear and conversations would break off 
suddenly when those speaking edged too near to cer- 
tain disclosures. Penny had kept her secret well, tell- 
ing only Brownie what she intended to represent, and 
Brownie, who had at first criticized, was finally made 
to see that her friend’s selection was right. Louise 
was out of town. She was making a visit to Miss 
Varney’s sister, who had a friend considering the 
question of adopting the little refugee. The visiting 
lady who had come to Miss Varney’s finally had de- 
cided that she would prefer a very young child, at 
which decision both Penny and Louise had rejoiced. 
Whether Louise would return in time for the carnival 
no one seemed to know and again Penny was con- 
tented to leave results in the hands of fate. 

It was a bright, sparkling evening when the owl and 
199 


200 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


the pussy cat stole out of the house and, dodging foot 
passengers, at last reached the pond upon whose glassy 
surface a number had already gathered to compete for 
the prizes. Someone was at a turnstile to take the 
names of the competitors and to give them numbered 
tickets. A little further on was the stand where the 
judges were gathered. There was much bustling 
about, much laughter and excited talk. The pond was 
fringed by visitors who had come to look on. Already 
it was dark enough to get the effect of lanterns, torches, 
and festoons of lights which shone down upon an 
array of bright costumes, and upon many which were 
not bright. Here was Jack Frost with a sparkling 
white robe, and a beard of glass icicles, there was Red 
Riding Hood with her basket, the wolf trotting amiably 
by her side. There were fairies and witches, gnomes 
and giants, dignified queens and knights, grotesque, 
nondescript figures, and commonplace ones. Penny 
discovered a Frost Queen, and was glad she had chosen 
a more original character. With her little owl she 
stepped out upon the ice, hearing more than one com- 
ment. “ The owl and the pussy cat, how clever ! ” 
“ Oh, what a great big cat, and the cunning owl ! 
There you have something original.” 

Penny turned her head in the direction of the speak- 
ers. “ Meow ! ” she said. “ Who-o-o ! ” cried Davy, 
and they dashed out upon the ice, leaving a trail of 
laughter behind them. 

A bugle call brought the skaters back to the be- 


THE PEIZES 


201 


ginning of the course. Those who did not enter the 
contest sought the shore to become onlookers. Pres- 
ently Penny caught sight of a new figure and heard 
someone say: “ I wonder who that is just arrived, a 
rabbit, isn’t it ? ” ‘‘ More like a hare,” came the an- 

swer. Then Penny’s heart beat faster, a hare, a little 
Belgian hare indeed, for she was sure that this was 
Louise. There was no time to find out, for again the 
bugle sounded and the skaters were ofif. 

For a while Penny kept along steadily with the little 
owl at her side, then the owl dropped behind, and she 
flew along aware that those abreast of her were be- 
coming fewer and fewer. Then Jack Frost shot 
ahead, and close at his heels, yes, it was the long- 
eared hare. Penny put forth her best effort and soon 
caught up with these two and a magnificently panoplied 
knight, who, too, had left the rest behind. The four 
went forward nearer and nearer the goal, for this was 
a race to the swift; later would come skill. Now Jack 
Frost was ahead, the hare close at his heels, then 
Penny began to gain and presently she and Jack Frost 
were alongside. 

Three cheers for the cat ! Go to it, pussy ! ” came 
shouts from the shore. 

Exhilarated, on her mettle. Penny made an extra 
effort, dared not look behind. It should be a fair 
race. She would do her best, and so would the hare, 
who probably had no idea of her identity. A sudden 
spurt brought the hare to the cat’s side, another spurt 


202 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


and she was ahead. Jack Frost reached the goal amid 
cheers and applause. He had won the first race. If 
he came out equally well in the matter of skill the 
prize would be his. The plumed knight came second 
and after him straggled a line of less agile skaters, but 
in their lead came first the Belgian hare. 

Penny could not help the great wave of disappoint- 
ment which welled as she realized how near, how very 
near she had come to being first of the girls to reach 
the goal. Indeed, the disappointment so overwhelmed 
her that she could not bring herself to go up to Louise 
with congratulations. There was still that test of 
skill, then let it be seen who came first. 

Deliberately and gracefully the skaters glided back to 
the starting point, and then began a series of wonderful 
stunts. In and out, backward and forward, went the 
skaters, cutting circles, figures, showing marvellous 
feats of agility. It was hard to tell which one was the 
most graceful, the most nimble, the most accomplished. 
Penny had always felt that she had no reason to feel 
ashamed of her ability, and went through her various 
tricks adroitly, but after a while she stood still in 
amazement to watch Louise, who was performing 
feats far beyond the powers of anyone present, and 
when at last the little hare went hopping, hopping 
dexterously across the pond there arose such a shout 
as proved beyond doubt that she had outdistanced all 
competitors and that to her would go the girls’ prize. 

It was some time before Penny could summon up 


THE PRIZES 


203 


sufficient grace to offer her congratulations, and there 
really was no hurry, for everyone was crowding around 
Louise, telling her how clever she was and asking 
where she learned such tricks. As she stood waiting 
for an opportunity to get through the crowd a little 
brown gnome clutched Penny’s arm. 

‘‘ Where did Louise get her skates ? ” asked Brownie. 
“ I know she didn’t have any.” 

“ Maybe she brought them when she came back 
from her visit to the city,” replied Penny evasively. 

I’m going to ask her,” said Brownie, edging her 
way toward Louise. 

Penny followed. Masks were now off, and there 
were many bursts of laughter as friends recognized 
one another. From under her furry, long-eared cap 
Louise’s little face peeped out. She caught sight of 
Brownie, and pushed toward her. “ Where is Penny ? 
I wish to see Penny. What does she wear? I must 
see her and again sank her for the skates. Wissout 
zem I could never have come to zis so wonderful car- 
nival.” 

Brownie cast a look of triumphant admiration at 
Penny. “ Here she is,” she cried. ‘‘ Didn’t you 
recognize her ? ” 

Louise stared, and made a dash toward her friend. 
** You, you are ze cat! ” she cried. “ If I had known, 
oh, if I had known, nevair, no nevair would I have al- 
lowed myself to reach first that goal.” 

Then all Penny’s envy melted away and the hare 


204 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


was in the pussy cat’s arms, if pussy cats may be said 
to have arms. 

Then Rufus, as Jack Frost, came up to offer his 
congratulations and to receive them in turn, next the 
knight was discovered to be Royal, and the Frost 
Queen to be Monica. Becky appeared as a witch and 
Leila as little Red Riding Hood with Dan Patten as 
the wolf. Penny found Davy by means of his quaver- 
ing hoot, and sent him off to look up Rilly. The 
crowd was beginning to disperse and the lights were 
going out. 

“ Where did you get your clever costume, Louise ? ” 
asked Penny as the two stood together. 

“ Miss Varney and her friends made it for me. It 
is clever, yes ? ” 

“ It is very clever and exactly suits you.” 

“ Yours also is clever. Who did make? ” 

“ My mother with the help of a seamstress. What 
isn’t fur is crepe paper and the same can be said of 
Davy’s costume.” 

‘‘Also it is fine. Nevair before have I seen so many 
fine costumes. But for you, my Penny, I should not 
have seen them now. I tell Miss Varney of your 
great kindness in bringing the skates, and she say: 
‘ We mus’ invent for you a dress for zis carnival,’ for 
you know I have told her zat at my home I skate al- 
ways in winter since I was a ver’ leetle child. Zese 
skates, Penny, I do not deprive you ? ” 

“ Oh, no, for I have not used them for two or three 


THE PEIZES 


206 


years. I have outgrown them, you know, but I believe 
they would suit you.” 

“It is so kind, so sought ful zat you bring zem to 
me, to give me such a joy. I, I to win zis prize, to 
make all my friend so happy by so doing. I cannot 
yet believe it.” 

At this grateful speech Penny had a little gnawing 
feeling of shame, so she changed the subject by asking: 
“ Did you enjoy your visit, Louise? Do you like the 
city?” 

“ I like, yes, but not so well as zis place. Are kind 
zese people, ze sister of Miss Varney and her family, 
but it is joy zat I return and I wish zat I do not go 
away again.” 

Then Miss Varney and some of her friends came up 
so Penny slipped away, encountering Brownie again on 
the outskirts of the fast thinning crowd. “ Why did 
you do it. Penny? ” asked Brownie reproachfully. “ I 
set my heart on your winning that prize and you would 
have done it, too, but for Louise.” 

“ Yes, I believe I would have, and at first. Brownie, 
I meant to. I will confess to you that I had a pitched 
battle with myself before I was ready to take those 
skates to Louise.” 

“ Did you know it was Louise in that costume ? ” 

“Almost at once, and then I made up my mind that 
I would do my best to win so that I could feel it was 
a fair thing for both of us. Well, you see how it 
came out.” 


206 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TROOP 


“Aren’t you awfully disappointed ? ” 

“ I was at first, but I couldn’t be after I saw how de- 
lighted Louise was. Besides, Brownie, it would have 
been a shame to keep her out when she can do such 
wonderful stunts.” 

“ Yes, I am compelled to admit that, but all the same 
I don’t believe I could have given away my chance as 
you did.” 

“ Oh, yes, you could ; you would be the first one to 
do it. I know you. Brownie Burton. Here comes 
Rilly. Let’s hear what she has to say. Well, Rilly,” 
she turned to the old colored woman, “ how did you 
like it?” 

“ What de reason yuh lets dat ole Bre’r Rabbit git 
ahead of yuh ? ” was what Rilly said. 

“ I couldn’t very well help it. I did my best.” 

“ Huh ! I knows yuh did, but I nearly bus' mah 
th’oat yellin’ to yuh not to let him git by.” 

“ It wasn’t a him ; it was a her. Do you know who 
it was, Rilly ? ” 

“No, I doesn’t, but I lak to give him a lick a,cross de 
haid fo’ gittin’ dat prize.” 

, “ You wouldn’t want to give Miss Louise a lick 
across the head, would you ? ” 

“Law, honey! Dat Miss Louise? I nuvver 
’spicioned it. She sho’ is one hopper. Well, dey ain’t 
nobody, ’sensin’ yuh an’ Miss Brownie, I’d ruther see 
git it. I reckons me an’ dis little owl better be gittin’ 
back ef so be dey is any supper dis night. Law, Miss 


THE PEIZES 


207 


Penny, I ’specks I gwine dream o’ Hants, all dem quare 
creeturs shootin’ ’roun’ lak wil’ beastes.” So saying, 
Rilly went off with Davy, leaving the girls to laugh 
over her comments, and soon to follow her. 

The skating pond was in a small park near the edge 
of the town, and was quite near to where the Atwoods 
lived, therefore Penny felt that she need not hurry 
away. Automobiles went dashing by, little groups of 
visitors hurried to the street cars, but still Penny and 
Brownie lingered with other boys and girls who were 
not yet tired of the sport. They were circling 
leisurely around the pond when presently they nearly 
came into collision with two boys approaching from 
the opposite direction. All four stopped short just in 
time. Penny nearly lost her balance, so quickly did 
she pull up and laughed as she recovered herself. 

“ Hello ! ” exclaimed one of the boys who was clad 
in furs from head to foot, I didn’t know that was 
you. Pen. Wonder why I haven’t come across you 
before. That you. Brownie? I didn’t recognize you 
at first. Whither away ? ” 

“ Oh, nowhere in particular,” answered Penny. 
“ We are just killing time till we know supper is 
ready.” 

“ I say. Pen,” spoke up the second boy who was 
dressed as a Russian Cossack, ‘‘ you should have had 
that prize. I don’t believe in its going to an outsider.” 

“ Well, but Louise isn’t exactly an outsider,” began 
Penny in protest. “ She goes to our school, she be- 


208 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


longs to the Thistle Troop, and I hope eventually she 
will live here for keeps/' 

‘‘ I agree with you, Jesse," Brownie interrupted. 
‘‘ I like Louise, but I am much fonder of Pen, and I 
feel aggrieved that she didn’t get the prize. She would 
have had it, too, if she hadn’t made it possible for 
Louise to enter the lists.’’ 

“ Why, how’s that ? ” Both boys looked interested. 

‘‘ Now, Brown, never mind that,” Penny spoke up. 

Well, you did, you know you did. You let her 
have those skates. I don’t see how she could get along 
without them.” 

Oh, almost anybody might have lent her a pair,” 
rejoined Penny nonchalantly. 

“All the same, nobody did, and no one was likely to.” 

“ Miss Varney might have borrowed or bought her a 
pair.” 

“ Not much. She isn’t spending money on super- 
fluities these days when she has other things, food and 
things, to buy for Louise.” 

“ Well, all I can say is that it would have been a 
crying shame for Louise to have stayed away. It was 
a privilege to see her.” 

“ She’s a corking good skater all right, all right,” 
admitted Dan. “ The way she hopped across this 
pond was little short of magic. I don’t see how she 
kept it up so long on skates. I know I couldn’t do it, 
neither could Rufe, and he’s the best skater among us.” 

“ So, you see she deserved to win,” exclaimed Penny 


THE PEIZES 


209 


triumphantly, the more eager to plead Louise’s cause 
the more she was opposed. 

Oh, when it comes to that, we don’t question it,” 
argued Jesse, “ but the point is that as an outsider she 
shouldn’t have entered the contest.” 

That’s all nonsense,” said Penny heatedly. “ She 
isn’t an outsider, as I just explained.” 

“ Well, considering that you stood the next best 
chance of winning I call that pretty generous,” per- 
sisted Jesse. 

‘‘ Oh, bother! ” ejaculated Penny, and turned away, 
making graceful circles as she skimmed across the 
pond. 

Her three friends stood looking after her. “ Pen 
may not have won the prize,” remarked Dan pres- 
ently, “ but I can tell you what, she has put herself on 
a pretty high pinnacle in my estimation. I take off 
my hat to her.” 

‘‘And she never said a word about it,” averred 
Brownie. “ I found out by accident from Louise her- 
self that Pen had lent her skates.” 

“ So much the more to her credit that she did keep 
it to herself,” declared Dan. “ It isn’t every girl who 
would have done it.” 

“Every girl isn’t a Girl Scout,” replied Brownie 
proudly. 

“ It would be a mighty good thing if every girl were 
to be,” put in Jesse. 

Then Penny came darting up. “ I think it’s time 


210 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


we were going/’ she said to Brownie. Rilly prom- 
ised waffles for supper and we don’t want to miss 
them.” 

''Just one more spin?” begged Dan. "Come on, 
Pen.” So the two fur-clad creatures started off to- 
gether, leaving gnome and Cossack to follow. 

One more round and they took off their skates pre- 
paratory to their walk home. " I’m almost too warm,” 
remarked Penny as she stood up. 

" Same here,” laughed Dan, " and yet it is pretty 
cold.” They looked up at the dancing stars, brilliant 
in the clear atmosphere, and putting out of countenance 
the bobbing lanterns and failing lights strung along the 
shore. 

" I should think Monica would have been cold,” ob- 
served Penny. " I notice she went home early. 
Wasn’t hers a pretty costume? ” 

" Oh, I don’t know,” Dan rejoined indifferently. 
" It looked as if she belonged on a Christmas tree or a 
Christmas card. I like yours much better, it is so 
much more original. Who got it up ? ” 

" Mother planned it, then she and Miss Bodley put 
it together; they did Davy’s, too. You saw him, 
didn’t you ? ” 

" The little owl ? I should say so. Everybody was 
looking at you two when you came. If there had been 
a prize for original costumes there isn’t a question of 
where it would have gone.” 

" Mine is a little bit cumbersome,” admitted Penny, 


THE PEIZES 


211 


“ and the tail gets in my way unless I loop it up over 
my arm. It was nicer being a rabbit with no tail to 
speak of.” 

“As the little Japanese child wrote in her composi- 
tion: * The rabbit has a tail but we do not mention it.' ” 

Penny laughed, and then they all started off singing: 
“ The owl and the pussy cat,” making passers-by smile 
as the fresh young voices echoed through the frosty 
air. 

The waffles were not quite ready when they reached 
the Atwood house. Brownie had been bidden to sup- 
per, and catching sight of the boys at the gate, Mrs. 
Atwood went out and urged them to come, too. It 
did not require much urging, for where is the boy who 
refuses waffles? Rilly, like most of her color, re- 
joiced in company, and cheerfully added to the batter, 
so it was a merry company which sat down to enjoy 
the meal with appetites sharpened by exercise in the 
open air. 

It was when her mother came to her room to kiss 
her good-night that Penny asked: “Were you disap- 
pointed, Mother dear, that I didn't win the prize ? ” 

“ I think you have won a much bigger prize,” 
returned her mother, giving her a second kiss. 
“ Brownie told me how it happened that Louise could 
be there, so I am much prouder of my child than if 
she had been honored openly. I hope she has no re- 
grets.” 

Penny hesitated. “ I had a little bit at first,” she 


212 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 


answered candidly, “ but I got over it, and now I am 
more glad than sorry. It is much better, isn’t it, to 
make two persons happy than one ? ” 

“ It strikes me that you have made more than two 
happy. You gave pleasure to the entire company. 
Everyone who saw Louise doing so well must have 
been pleased.” 

“ I hadn’t thought of that part. Still, Brownie 
wasn’t pleased, for one. She had set her heart on my 
winning, and so had some of the others.” 

“ Nevertheless, if Brownie is a true and loyal 
friend, as I think she is, I haven’t a doubt but she is 
better pleased, or will be when she thinks it over, than 
she would have been if you had come out first. She 
may not realize it, but down in the bottom of her heart 
she will feel that you won something much better than 
the prize which went to Louise.” 

“ I hope so,” returned Penny, meekly, “ but please 
don’t praise me too much. Mother. I don’t want to 
be a smirky, self-satisfied heroine like some of those 
you read about. I despise that kind.” 

Her mother laughed. ‘‘ Very well, we will drop the 
subject, though I will say that you did only what was 
right, and I shouldn’t have thought much of you if 
you had done otherwise.” 

“ I suppose that is what they call a wholesome state- 
ment,” rejoined Penny. “ I am glad you made it, for 
I couldn’t feel very much set up after that. Between 
being a worthy Girl Scout and the kind of daughter 


THE PEIZES 


213 


you would have me be I don’t believe there is much 
danger of my becoming very conceited.” 

Heaven forbid that you should be,” replied her 
mother smiling. “ Well, dear, good-night and sweet 
dreams. If I hear you meow in the night I shall think 
you have nightmare.” 

“ Night cat, you mean,” returned Penny. 

“After such a dreadful joke I am not going to give 
a chance for another word except another good-night.” 
And she went out leaving Penny too tired for many 
moments of wakefulness. 


CHAPTER XIV 


PENNY IS CROSS 


ENNY came down to breakfast as cross as two 



JL sticks the morning after the carnival. Rilly said 
she got out of bed wrong, but Mrs. Atwood’s opinion 
was that the child was worn out. ‘‘All this excite- 
ment has been too much for you, daughter,” she said. 
“ I think you’d better stay home from school to-day.” 

“ Oh, Mother, I don’t want to stay home,” com- 
plained Penny. “ I’m not ill.” 

“ Perhaps not really ill, but you are tired. If you 
go to school, you must surely rest this afternoon and 
not go skating.” 

“ Oh, but Mother,” began Penny. 

Here Davy broke in with : “ I can go skating, can’t I, 
Mother? ” 

“ I can go skating, can’t I, Mother ? ” smirked Penny 
in an undertone. 

“ Mother, make Penny stop ; she’s mocking me,” 
cried Davy. 

“ Baby, baby, baby,” said Penny, again under her 
breath. 

Davy reached out a too short leg by sliding forward 
in his chair and managed to give the rung of Penny’s 


214 


PENNY IS CEOSS 


215 


chair a vicious kick, causing her to spill the water she 
was about to drink. She set down her glass and glared 
across the table at Davy. “ You little beast,’* she 
muttered wrath fully. 

'' Mother, Penny’s calling me names,” Davy com- 
plained. 

Here, here, what’s all this ? ” Mr. Atwood put 
down his paper. No quarrelling at table, or in fact 
at any time,” he spoke authoritatively. “ Penny, you 
are old enough to know better.” 

This reproof brought the tears to Penny’s eyes, and 
lest they should overflow she arose and rushed from 
the table to her room where she had a good cry and 
then felt better, though still too aggrieved to go back 
to her breakfast. They were all against her, and she 
wished she were really ill, then they would be sorry 
that they treated her so, she told herself. 

When she did not return Davy became more and 
more contrite. He was a tender-hearted little soul, 
and really loved his sister devotedly, so he was deeply 
concerned as the moments passed and she failed to ap- 
pear to enjoy the griddle cakes which Rilly brought in 
smoking hot from time to time. 

The meal over Davy looked wistfully at his mother, 
but she made no sign, so he lingered around for a few 
minutes and then went out into the kitchen where 
Rilly was loitering over her breakfast in the manner 
of those of her kind. A great pile of cakes was 
stacked up before her, a large cup of coffee steamed 


216 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


by the side of her plate. This was a golden hour to 
Rilly. 

Davy stood for a moment watching Rilly’s delib- 
erate method of eating, then he piped up: Rilly, are 
you going to eat all those cakes? ” 

“ Wha’ fo’ you ask me that? ” said Rilly, rolling her 
eyes toward him. Ain' yuh had 'nuff ? Ef yuh eats 
any mo' yuh sho' will bus'," she added, transferring 
another cake to her plate. 

Davy thought the remark might be applied to Rilly 
herself if she intended to demolish the pile of cakes, 
but he didn’t say so. “ I didn’t want them for my- 
self," he stated, '‘but I thought maybe Penny might 
like more. She didn't eat scarcely any and she has 
gone up-stairs without finishing her breakfast.” 

“She sick?” Rilly poured a generous supply of 
syrup over her cakes. 

“No, I don't think so, but I think she is sort of, 
sort of upset.” 

Rilly viewed the stack of cakes critically. “ I might 
spare her a couple,” she said grudgingly, “ ef so be she 
pinin’ fo’ mo'.” 

“ I’ll go ask her,” said Davy, turning to run up-stairs 
with alacrity. Reaching his sister’s room he peeped 
in. She was lying across the bed, her face averted, 
her head pillowed on her arm. Davy stood looking 
at her for a moment, then he stole softly down-stairs, 
meeting his mother as she was coming from the dining- 
room. “ Mother,” he said, " what do you suppose is 


PENNY IS CEOSS 217 

the matter with sister? She is lying on her bed just 
as still.” 

“ I think she is all worn out,” replied his mother. 
** I wouldn’t disturb her. Why did you go up, son ?” 

‘‘ I thought maybe she would like some more cakes 
and I was going to take them up to her. I don’t sup- 
pose she meant to be horrid; she was just tired and 
upset, wasn’t she ? ” 

Mrs. Atwood stooped to kiss the earnest little face. 

I think that was all the matter. Run along to school, 
dear. I will look after sister,” she said. 

Davy gathered up his books and ran out the back 
way that he might stop in the kitchen. You can eat 
all the cakes, Rilly,” he said. “ Mother will see to 
Penny.” 

Rilly’s only reply was a muttered : “ Humph ! ” 

but Davy noticed that the last of the cakes was lifted 
to her plate as he went out the door. 

Mrs. Atwood attended to several small matters be- 
fore she went up-stairs. Davy had left the door of 
his sister’s room partly open. Mrs. Atwood went 
quietly in. Penny did not stir. Her mother softly 
stepped to the side of the bed and leaned over. There 
was no movement from Penny ; she was sound asleep. 
Her mother gently drew a light cover over her and 
went out, closing the door after her. 

Two hours later Penny woke up, rubbed her eyes, 
gave a long sigh and sat up. She looked drowsily 
around, but presently she became aware that it was not 


218 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


early morning, but long past school time. “ Mercy 
me ! ” she exclaimed. “ I didn’t mean to go to sleep. 
Well, it’s too late for school now. I must make the 
best of it.” She sat for a while on the side of the bed 
cogitating upon the events of the evening before and 
finally upon what took place at the breakfast table. 
** I must have been woozy to act so,” she told herself. 
“ Poor little brother ! ” After bathing her face and 
making her bed, she closed the window and sat down 
to her desk. Her Girl Scout manual was lying there. 
She picked it up and turned the pages idly. Oh 
dear, oh dear,” she sighed. ‘‘A pretty Girl Scout I am, 
and I have been so proud of getting out of the Tender- 
foot class. I called Davy a baby, but I am a bigger 
one myself. I suppose pride must have a fall, and I 
have gone down kerflop. You must take things more 
seriously, Samantha, or you will never be a patrol 
leader.” Penny always addressed herself by her 
despised name during periods of self-examination, but 
she never mentioned this to anyone, not even to her 
mother. 

She was quite calm and serious when she crossed the 
hall to her mother’s sitting-room a little later. ‘‘ Well, 
dear,” said her mother looking up, “ did you have a 
good nap ? ” 

‘‘ I should think I did. The idea of my going off 
like that at such a time of day.” 

That proves that you needed the nap.” 

“ I think I needed a spanking more,” returned 


PENNY IS CEOSS 


219 


Penny ruefully. “ What did make me so mean to 
poor little Davy ? ’’ 

“You were all tired out and your nerves were un- 
strung.” 

The tears again came to Penny’s eyes. She wiped 
them away saying: “ I am afraid they are a little on 
the bias yet. I thought you would have a scolding 
ready for me and here you are excusing me.” 

Her mother smiled. She knew Penny well enough 
to realize that in her present condition a scolding would 
only make her defiant while a little sympathy would 
make her even more contrite. 

Penny sat quite still for several minutes, then she 
said: “Mother, do you think I should give up my badge 
to punish myself ; I mean let you keep it, for a week, 
say?” 

“ What do you think about it ? ” 

“ I can’t make up my mind whether it is serious 
enough or not. I know lots of girls do squabble with 
their brothers and sisters and don’t think anything of 
it, but we are always such a peaceful family that it 
somehow seems worse for me than for some girls. A 
beast was a horrid name to call Davy, wasn’t it ? ” 

“ I should not call it exactly a nice name. Suppose 
you give up your badge for a day, and leave it at that. 
I must tell you that Davy, too, was evidently quite re- 
morseful, for he went up to your room to see if you 
wanted more breakfast which he intended to take up 
to you.” 


220 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


The dear child.” Tears were again very near the 
surface. Penny winked them away saying: “ I think 
you were right to say I’d better not go to school to-day. 
I seem ready to leak tears if you crook your finger at 
me, and if anything didn’t go just right at school I 
might make a spectacle of myself. I acknowledge that 
I do feel sort of queer. I can’t think of anything I 
want to do, and I loathe sitting still doing nothing. 
How would you suggest that I pass away the time? ” 
Haven’t you an interesting book to read ? ” 

“ Why, yes, but it makes me feel squirmy when I 
think of just sitting around indoors with a book.” 

“Then why not sit outdoors? Wrap yourself up 
well, and find a sheltered corner on one of the porches. 
The fresh air will do you a world of good, and you can 
be entertained at the same time.” 

“ That’s a fine idea, you blessed muzzie. I will 
carry out that same, and if that doesn’t cure me of 
feeling blue and seeing red. I’m in a worse way than I 
thought.” 

She left the room, returning in a few minutes well 
bundled up, and slipped something into her mother’s 
hand. Mrs. Atwood smiled and nodded, then dropped 
the little badge into her work-basket, where it lay till 
Penny claimed it the next day. 

Whether it was the bracing air or the stimulating 
book which had the effect of restoring Penny’s equa- 
nimity she could not say, probably it was the combina- 
tion, but at any rate she was as bright as ever by dinner 


PENNY IS CEOSS 


221 


time ; moreover she had the courage to make her apolo- 
gies to Davy, who, on his part, was more than ready to 
make up. Although she longed to go to the skating 
pond she resolutely put this notion out of her head and 
saw Davy go off without mentioning that she would 
like to go, too. She might have regretted this heroic 
attitude later on, if Brownie and Louise had not ap- 
peared almost immediately after dinner. 

Why in the world weren’t you at school this morn- 
ing ? ” inquired Brownie. 

‘‘ You weren’t ill, I hope,” said Louise solicitously. 

“ I was all tired out and Mother thought I’d best 
stay at home and rest,” replied Penny, glad that she 
could speak truthfully in giving this excuse. 

Well, I’m glad that was all,” said Brownie. 
‘‘ Louise and I were awfully afraid you were ill, 
weren’t we, Louise? Oh, Penny, Miss Varney sent 
word that she wants every girl to bring a song for the 
next rally. She says the other troops are away ahead 
of us in songs, that we have depended upon those al- 
ready written and that we should try for something 
original.” 

“What sort of songs?” inquired Penny, looking a 
little startled. 

“ Oh, any kind. Isn’t that it, Louise ? ” 

Louise nodded. “Any kind, a marching song, a 
troop song, anysing zat will be of use some days. A 
song for when we camp, when we walk, when we make 
to paddle the canoe. I do not zis, yet, but I hope I 


222 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


may some of ze days in summer, if so be I am here.’^ 
She gave a little dubious shrug of her shoulders. 

“ I suppose we may as well get at it,” said Penny 
rather dolefully. ‘‘ There is no time like the present 
and it is better to have a thing like that behind you 
than before.” 

“ But me, I cannot do,” exclaimed Louise appalled. 
‘‘ I am not so well acquaint wis ze language as to do.” 

Oh, we will help you if we have time,” Penny 
promised, and if we don't Miss Varney will.” 

“ Better than that,” Brownie put in, “ she could 
translate a French song.” 

Why not tell us of some pretty French song and 
let us all learn to sing it in French? I think that 
would be fine,” declared Penny ; ‘‘ it would be different 
from the usual thing.” 

“ That is so,” agreed Brownie. “ You can think of 
something, can't you, Louise ? ” 

“ I will try.” 

“ Come on up in my room, then,” proposed Penny. 
‘‘ It will be nice and quiet there so our thinking caps 
will not get knocked off.” 

They followed Penny to her pretty room and there 
they sat them down each with pencil and paper. 
When the thinking caps were properly adjusted they 
set to work and in due course of time each had pro- 
duced verses which she was ready to submit for ap- 
proval. Penny and Brownie agreed to take different 
themes, and to adapt the metre to some familiar air. 


PENNY IS CEOSS 


223 


** Mine is a marching song to the tune of ‘ Marching 
Through Georgia/ ’’ announced Brownie. “ Shall I 
read it or sing it ? ” 

“ Oh, read it,” returned Penny, bearing in mind 
Brownie’s none too melodious voice. 

So Brownie began: 

“ We’ll take a constitutional; 

Let ev’ry lassie go. 

We’ll tramp along through rain or shine 
Or dust or sand or snow. 

We do not mind the elements ; 

We do not mind a breeze. 

For we’re Girl Scouts, if you please. 

Chorus : — 

We are Girl Scouts 
A mighty jolly bunch. 

We are Girl Scouts 
And we possess the punch. 

We hike along right cheerily 
Without a lagging foot. 

For we’re Girl Scouts if you please. 

We’re up the hill and down again. 

Quite like the king of France; 

We hike five miles then home again. 

And ready for a dance. 

Or ready for a skating bout 
If it should chance to freeze. 

For we’re Girl Scouts, if you please.” 

Chorus — We are Girl Scouts, etc. 


224 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


‘‘ I think that's fine," declared Penny heartily. 

‘‘ Well, I hope Miss Varney will think so," returned 
Brownie doubtfully. I think it goes all right to the 
tune and that is about all I can say. Now yours. Pen." 

“ Oh, mine isn't near so good as yours," protested 
Penny modestly. 

“ Well, we aren't expected to be competing for lau- 
rel wreaths," responded Brownie. “ If it's singable at 
all, that is about all we can expect." 

“ I think this is singable, for I kept ‘ Jingle Bells ' in 
my mind all the time. I heard a sleighing party going 
by the other night and they were singing * Jingle bells, 
jingle bells, jingle all the way,' and it sounded so jolly 
that I thought I would take that tune." 

‘‘ It's a pretty good tune, but don't talk so much 
about it ; give us the words." 

Thus adjured Penny began to read: 

** We're a troop of girls. 

Scouts we say for short; 

See us khaki clad. 

Out for work or sport. 

‘ Be prepared,' our cry ; 

Cheerfulness our rule 
Both in work or play. 

In the home or school. 

Fire-building, semaphore. 

Tying many knots, 

Wigwagging, first aid. 

Tending little tots. 


PENNY IS CEOSS 


225 


Cook a meal, telegraph, 

Sound a bugle true, 

March like men, beat a drum. 

These we learn to do. 

Fun with work we mix. 

Add a song for sweet. 

Stir in laughs for spice. 

There's the rule complete. 

Give it lots of air, 

Set it in the sun; 

It will satisfy the taste 
When the work is done. 

Thistle Troop ! Thistle Troop ! 

Mind your p's and q's ; 

Don't forget to smile a while 
Though you have the blues. 

Thistle Troop ! Thistle Troop ! 

Keep the rules that so 

You'll show the stuff you're made of 

Everywhere you go." 

“ Why, Pen," cried Brownie, “ I think that's just 
great. I don't see how you managed to get in refer- 
ences to so many things. I know Miss Varney will be 
pleased. I think it was a mighty good idea of hers to 
ask us to write these things for our weekly theme." 

“ She's an all right teacher as well as an all right 
captain," averred Penny. 

“ There goes Becky Cole," exclaimed Brownie, sud- 


226 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


denly catching sight of Becky's long stride. Let's 
call her over and read her the verses." 

Penny rapped sharply on the window and as Becky's 
attention was attracted, beckoned to her, and in a few 
minutes she had joined the group. 

Whither away so fast ? ” asked Brownie. '' You 
always go like the wind, Becky, or as if you saw your 
train coming and were afraid you wouldn't get there." 

“ It's my long legs," Becky explained. “ I believe I 
can walk faster and reach further with my arms than 
any girl I know. I was hurrying home to tell Mother 
something I just heard. What do you think, girls? 
Miss Cropley is engaged." 

Such a piece of news about one of their teachers 
naturally interested all the girls. 

“ Who's the man? " asked Brownie. 

“ When is the wedding to take place ? " inquired 
Penny. 

“ The man is Dr. Irwin, and they are to be married 
in June after school closes. For my part, I don't see 
what he can see in her, a little skinny thing, not a bit 
pretty and with no style — and they do say " 

The girls were silent for a moment and then Becky 
confronted three heads close together. Brownie had 
covered her eyes, Penny her mouth, Louise her ears. 
The color rose to Becky's cheeks. “ Well," she began 
lamely, “ they do say that she has the loveliest sort of 
disposition, and is a most devoted daughter." 

Down came the hands from the three faces and the 


PENNY IS CROSS 


227 


girls laughed, so did Becky, who said apologetically, 
“ I really don’t mean to be a tattle-tale, girls, but it is 
a temptation to hand out bits of news that you know 
will raise a little ripple of excitement.” 

“ Oh, one doesn’t mind good news,” explained 
Brownie, “ but we want to draw the line at unkind 
gossip. It isn’t worthy of a Girl Scout.” 

‘‘ Yes, I know that,” replied Becky, ** and really, 
girls, I am trying mighty hard not to be gossipy, and I 
appreciate your trying to help me.” 

‘‘ It is fine of you not to get mad, you nice old Beck,” 
said Brownie. “ Now that we have disposed of Miss 
Cropley, shall we read you our effusions, which under 
orders from Miss Varney we have made ready? ” 

“ Oh, you smart things, have you done them al- 
ready? I haven’t even begun to think of mine. Of 
course I want to hear them.” 

So the verses were read and approved, then all three 
of the girls declared they must go, and Penny had the 
satisfaction of hearing them singing: 

“ Thistle Troop, Thistle Troop, 

Mind your p’s and q’s,” 

as they went off down the street. 


CHAPTER XV 


IF YOU LOVE ME 


HE carnival seemed to mark the climax of excite- 



1 ment for the young people of the town, for after 
that they settled down to the routine of school, meet- 
ings of the various troops, an occasional mild frolic at 
the house of one or another. Mr. Mason, still at the 
hospital, was visited regularly. Peter Nugent and his 
mother, being safely launched, required no more look- 
ing after. Peter kept his job, while Mrs. Nugent was 
called upon to do day’s work so frequently that she 
could not fill more than half the places offered. The 
town was cleaned up, and kept clean by a newly organ- 
ized civic club. The home-coming soldiers had scat- 
tered, and, in civilian dress, were not distinctly differ- 
ent from other men. Louise was still at Miss Var- 
ney’s. Her visit to the big city had brought no further 
result, except that she was borne in mind by several 
ladies who wanted time to think over the question of 
adopting a little refugee. Although Miss Varney had 
grown very fond of the child she told Mrs. Atwood 
that she had no idea of giving her a permanent home. 

“ My sister helps me out,” she said, “ and you all 


‘'IF YOU LOVE ME'» 


229 


have been so generous in the matter of clothing that 
she is really of very little expense.” So Louise went 
to school, became more and more proficient in English, 
studied faithfully, and gave no trouble. Her special 
friends were the girls of the Thistle Troop, who took 
her under their wing and never failed to invite her to 
all their little merrymakings, though generally she 
would be the youngest guest. She was learning many 
of the requirements for second class scout, was deft in 
tying knots, quick at wigwagging, and semaphore, but 
chiefly was skating her delight. She taught Penny 
many of her feats, and the two paired off whenever the 
skating was good. 

So the winter went on till one day Monica an- 
nounced that she was going to have a Valentine party, 
a very select one. The girls all knew it was sure to be 
that, for Mrs. Mcllvaine was a most particular person 
when it came to entertaining. In every-day matters, 
such as her daughter’s studies, development of charac- 
ter, and use of time, she took little interest, but when it 
came to an entertainment she rose to the occasion, as 
she did also in matters of dress. She rather discoun- 
tenanced the Girl Scout idea, and it was only because 
Miss Varney was captain of the Thistle Troop that she 
permitted Monica to join. 

The Mcllvaines lived in what was probably the 
largest and handsomest house in town. It was lux- 
uriously furnished, had beautiful, well-kept grounds, 
and greenhouses as well as a conservatory. Mrs. Me- 


230 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Ilvaine gave frequent affairs, but Monica rarely enter- 
tained her friends, so it was quite an event when she 
did so. 

Most of the girls of Thistle Troop went to Miss 
Darby's school ; the two who did not were Rena Mills 
and Flora Cassidy. These attended the public school, 
and by Mrs. Mcllvaine were not considered in Mon- 
ica's set, although two nicer girls did not exist in the 
town. 

There was much whispering going on at recess the 
day that Monica announced that she was going to give 
a party. Every girl hoped she would be invited but 
no one could count upon it, since it was to be so “ very 
select." 

“ Only twenty," whispered Becky Cole to Penny. 
“ She told me so." 

Ten girls and ten boys," Penny gave this informa- 
tion on her part. “ Do you suppose she will invite 
us? " 

“ She told me her mother hadn't made up the list 
yet." 

“ Oh, dear, I wish her mother would let me make 
it," said Penny. 

Becky laughed. “ I don't believe she will. Monica 
is a mighty nice girl considering the mother she has." 

“ She must be pretty nice, I think, to let Monica 
have a lovely party." 

Oh, she's nice enough that way." 

“And I'm sure she gets Monica lovely clothes." 


‘‘IF YOU LOVE 


231 


** I know that, but clothes aren’t everything. There 
are days when Monica doesn’t lay eyes on her mother 
from morning till night. She never asks her anything 
about her studies, never helps her with them ; we girls 
and the teachers do that, never goes to her room to see 
if she is tucked in, and to say good-night to her ; more 
than likely she is off at a card party or something, or 
at her club. As for the Girl Scouts she hasn’t much 
use for them. Mr. Mcllvaine is pretty much the same. 
He is away from home lots of the time, or he is at his 
club, or going to business meetings, so he can’t see 
much of Monica.” 

Who told you all this? ” queried Penny. 

“ Miss Bodley ; she has been at our house sewing.” 

“ Oh, she’s an old gossip,” returned Penny con- 
temptuously, but whether she is or not I know we are 
all crazy to go to Monica’s whenever we get a chance ; 
it is such a pretty house. I adore those huge fireplaces 
and the conservatory and all that.” 

“ Yes, so do I, only I’m scared to death of the 
butler.” 

Penny laughed. “ I don’t believe he would hurt a 
potato bug.” 

‘‘Maybe not, but he looks at you as if you were 
nothing more important, and I don’t like to be looked 
at as if I were a potato or any other kind of bug; I 
never saw such a haughty creature.” 

“ Except the floor-walker in at Mills and Waller’s. I 
think they must be brothers. Oh, me, there is the bell 


232 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


and I meant to look over that last page of Latin before 
it rang.” She hurried off and that was the last she 
thought about the party that day, or at least till even- 
ing brought back the subject. She was sitting in her 
room poring over her lessons, her lips moving as she 
conned a French conjugation, and her eyes wandering 
to the objects on her mantel when she concentrated her 
vision upon the little group of Japanese monkeys which 
stood there. For the moment the French verb was 
forgotten. “ Hear no evil ; speak no evil ; see no evil,” 
murmured Penny. “ Someone ought to give a set of 
those monkeys to Becky Cole. I know what Fll do; 
I’ll take mine to the next Girl Scout meeting and get 
Miss Varney to give us a talk upon them. She loves 
us to do things like that, and Pm sure we all need to 
be hauled up on the question of gossiping.” She went 
to the mantel, picked up the monkeys and slipped the 
little statuette into her bag that she might have it ready 
for the next rally, then she returned to her verb. 

In a few days the invitations for Monica’s party 
were out and to her great joy Penny found herself one 
of the favored. Brownie, too, received an invitation, 
so did Becky Cole and Leila Sheldon. Flora Cassidy 
and Rena Mills were left out, so was Louise. The 
latter was not in the least aggrieved, although the same 
could not be said of Flora and Rena. These two were 
quite ready to listen to Becky’s comments upon Mrs. 
Mcllvaine which she voiced with much emphasis when 
the girls were gathering for the next rally. Monica 


IF YOU LOVE ME 


233 


had not arrived, she was generally late, so Becky took 
this opportunity of expressing her opinion. 

“ You needn’t tell me,” said Becky, “ that Monica 
couldn’t have had just whom she pleased. Don’t you 
suppose her mother consulted her ? I can tell you that 
all those Mcllvaines think themselves highbrows.” 

“ Oh 1 ” Flora opened her eyes wide and looked at 
Rena. 

I don’t care,” said Rena bridling, “ I don’t want to 
go to her old party. It will be as stiff as anything, I 
believe, and nobody will enjoy it. I’d rather stay at 
home where I can have some fun. You come over to 
my house. Flora, and we’ll have a good time, see if we 
don’t.” 

Then Miss Varney came in with Louise and the girls 
skurried to take their places in line for the roll call. 
When they had gone through their drill, saluted the 
flag, repeated their promises, heard the minutes of the 
last rally. Miss Varney asked: '‘What shall we talk 
about ? Has anyone a suggestion ? ” 

Then Penny drew forth her monkeys and put them 
on the table. " I’d like to talk about these,” she said. 
Some of the girls giggled, scenting a joke, but seeing 
that Penny looked perfectly serious, they looked only 
expectant. 

" That’s a fine idea. Penny,” said Miss Varney ap- 
provingly. " I suppose most of us know what these 
little monkeys are supposed to teach, but I am afraid 
that few of us take the lesson to heart. I am sure that 


234 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


each one of us is ready to see evil, to hear evil, to 
speak evil sometimes. You see one monkey covers his 
ears that he may hear nothing he should not ; the next 
covers his eyes that he may see nothing -wrong, and the 
third covers his mouth so that he may say nothing 
evil.” 

“ But, Miss Varney,” spoke up Becky, “ if we al- 
ways did that we couldn’t hear anything which was 
good, either.” 

Miss Varney smiled. “ You take it too literally, 
Becky. It is only symbolical, so to speak, and to re- 
mind us to refrain from gossip. If each one of you 
would be reminded of the lesson whenever she looks 
at this little group, we might have less tale-bearing, at 
least I hope so. There is a good rule to go by: if you 
cannot speak well of a person say nothing at all. 
Nothing grows like gossip. Let’s try it. Becky, sup- 
pose you whisper something to your next neighbor, let 
her repeat it to her neighbor and we’ll see what comes 
out at the end of the line.” 

** Oh, we’ve played that before,” cried one or two 
of the girls. 

‘‘ Never mind, we’ll play it again,” said Miss Var- 
ney. “ When you have whispered your remark, 
Becky, come here and tell me what you said and I will 
write it down so there will be no danger of your for- 
getting.” 

It was funny to watch the various expressions ap- 
pearing on the faces of the girls as the remark was re- 


“IF YOU LOVE 


235 


ceived and passed on. The last one to receive it was 
Monica, who shut her lips firmly together and looked 
very indignant. 

‘‘ Well, Monica,” said Miss Varney, “ what was the 
way you heard what Becky said ? ” 

“ I don’t like to tell you. Miss Varney,” replied 
Monica. “ It was perfectly horrid and just as false 
as could be.” 

That is the way with most gossip when it has 
passed along from mouth to mouth. Usually it is so 
garbled that the original remark is entirely changed. 
Tell us what you heard. We will not hold it against 
you, and I can assure you that what Becky said was 
very innocent. By the time it reached you no doubt it 
was something quite different.” 

Go on, Monica,” cried one and another, and at last 
Monica, looking quite distressed, said: ‘‘What I 
thought Rena whispered to me was this: ‘ Did you see 
Penny Atwood acting the saintly part ? She is a per- 
fect old cat.’ ” 

Becky was on her feet in a minute. “ Oh ! Oh ! 
Oh ! ” she cried, “ I never said anything like that. Did 
I, Miss Varney? ” 

“ Don’t get so excited, Becky,” said Miss Varney. 
“ No, of course you didn’t. Listen, girls. This is 
what Becky said : ‘ Did you see Penny Atwood at the 
skating park? She was perfect. You couldn’t have 
told her from a cat.’ ” 

Penny, who was really beginning to feel a little hurt. 


236 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


joined in the laugh which followed, and looked as re- 
lieved as Monica did. 

“ So now, you see,” Miss Varney went on, how 
great oaks of gossip can grow from very small acorns. 
That is something for all you Girl Scouts to remember. 
I think we have had a very good example of it, and we 
must all try to be on our guard, for the tongue is an un- 
ruly member. I think we must thank Penny for bring- 
ing her monkeys.” 

This the girls lost no time in doing, and when some- 
one cried: “We must thank the monkeys, too,” this 
was done with even more fervor. 

No one ever told who it was that sent Becky a mys- 
terious little box on St. Valentine’s Day. If she sus- 
pected she never said so, but she looked a little abashed 
when she opened it and found inside a facsimile of 
Penny’s little monkeys. She put them up in plain 
sight and the sender, at least, hoped she looked at them 
often. 

But before this happened Rena and Flora found that 
they must set aside any grievance inflamed by Becky’s 
hints, for the very next day after the rally they re- 
ceived invitations, evidently belated, to Monica’s party. 
Neither was Louise forgotten, so it was a very happy 
little company which gathered at the Mcllvaine house 
on the evening of St. Valentine’s Day. There were 
hearts and darts everywhere. Red rose hearts swung 
from the ceilings, golden hearts shaded the lights. 
The girls and boys were asked to bring each a valentine 


“IF YOU LOVE 


237 


to be slipped into a heart-shaped box at the entrance to 
the dining-room. Even the table vras heart-shaped 
with Monica, the queen of hearts, sitting at the apex. 
The favors were small enamelled hearts, and the place 
cards were valentines. 

■“ I suppose we are expected even to eat heartily,” 
remarked Brownie as she took her place. 

It was such a delicious feast that there was no fear 
but that it would be eaten in that way, and, as it was in 
the nature of a supper to be partaken at the usual hour 
for that meal, everyone brought a good appetite. 

Then each one was given a number and drew a val- 
entine. Some were quite gorgeous affairs, others 
were the simplest sort of jingle. Louise drew one of 
the former. Penny one of the latter. These two were 
sitting together on a sofa when Louise whispered: 

Let me see what you are draw.” 

Penny displayed a simple little card on which was 
written: If you love me as I love you, no knife can 
cut our love in two.” Louise laughed. “ It is from 
me. I it is who bring this. I ask Miss Varney what 
I am to do, for I know not about this St. Valentine as 
you do, and so she do this for me. I am glad it is my 
Penny who has this, but if you wish I will change with 
you, for mine is a far more elegant one, yet I do not 
believe it speaks more true than this of yours.” 

“ I shall keep mine, you dear Louise,” said Penny, 

for if it speaks the truth that is more than most val- 
entines do.” 


238 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


“ And also you love me ? ” 

“ Indeed I do, very much.” 

But not so much as you do Brownie.” 

“ That is different. Brownie and I have been 
friends and playmates ever since we were babies. Our 
mothers were school friends; Mrs. Burton is my god- 
mother, as my mother is Brownie*s.” 

Louise drew a long sigh. She adored Penny in a 
romantic sort of way as many young girls do older 
ones, and she longed to be first in Penny's regard. She 
sat wondering what she could do to show Penny her 
extreme devotion. 

Her meditations were suddenly interrupted by 
Penny's exclaiming: Oh, look there! '' 

Louise looked. The portieres between this room 
and the next had been drawn to show a great frame in 
the shape of a heart against a lacey background orna- 
mented with roses. In the middle of the frame there 
appeared a quaint little figure in old-fashioned dress, 
hooped and flounced skirt, silk mantle, gipsy bonnet. 
The curtains were drawn again and next was seen a 
lad in dress of the same period. After this one or an- 
other of the guests mysteriously disappeared to come 
into view within the frame clad in some pretty cos- 
tume. Penny appeared as a shepherdess, Becky as a 
Spanish lady, Louise as a gipsy. At the very last 
came Monica in the very pretty dress she had worn all 
the evening. She had a basket of flowers on her arm, 
and tossed out to each present a little old-fashioned 


'' IF YOU LOVE ME ^ 


239 


nosegay done up in lace paper. Then there flashed out 
on the lace background a series of electric lights spell- 
ing the couplet: 

“If you love me as I love you, 

No knife can cut our love in two.” 

Monica kissed her hand to her guests, made a deep 
curtsey and that was the end of that, though there was 
music and singing and dancing after this. It was 
rather late when the last guests made their farewells, 
all declaring that it was the loveliest party they had 
ever seen. 

“And Mrs. Mcllvaine was perfectly dear,’* said 
Penny as she walked home with Brownie and two of 
the boys. “ She started up the games and helped 
everybody to have a good time. I don’t think she is a 
bit stiff.” 

“ Who said she was ? ” inquired Brownie. 

“ Why ” — it was on the tip of Penny’s tongue to 
mention Becky’s name, but she changed her intention 
just in time, and said: “ somebody said so. I seem to 
have heard it somewhere.” 

“ Nobody is perfect,” rejoined Brownie sagely. 
“ Probably the person who said that has just as many 
faults.” 

Penny inwardly agreed to this but she kept her own 
counsel, and began discussing the various incidents of 
the evening. 

Louise bore home her little bouquet and put it care- 


240 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


fully in water, finding it fresh and bright the next 
morning. There were three horns to her dilemma as 
she looked at it trying to make up her mind how she 
should dispose of it. She felt that it was her duty to 
give it to Miss Varney, she wanted it herself, and she 
longed to bestow it secretly upon her beloved Penny. 
Finally she decided that she would send Miss Varney 
the elaborate valentine which she had drawn from the 
box, would keep the enamel favor as a memento for 
herself and would lay the little bunch of flowers upon 
the altar of affection. So she ran around by Penny’s 
house on her way to school, and tied the flowers on the 
door-knob with a card which said: “ From the one who 
loves you best, adored Penny.” 

Davy found the bouquet when he went out, and of 
course he read the card. “ Pen, Pen,” he cried, as he 
ran back, here’s a valentine for you, and I’ll bet you 
won’t be able to guess who sent it.” 

Penny came hurrying, tying her scarf as she came. 

“ See,” said Davy, holding out the flowers. “ It’s 
just like the bouquet you got last night, all those little 
pink rosebuds, and the forget-me-nots and the lace 
paper. Who do you suppose sent it? I’ll bet it was 
one of the boys.” 

Penny looked at the card and recognized the writ- 
ing. “ You’re away off,” she answered. “ It isn’t 
from a boy at all ; it’s from a girl.” 

‘‘ Ho, a girl wouldn’t come tying it to the door- 
knob ; she’d want to keep it herself.” 


“IF YOU LOVE ME” 241 

“All the same, most sapient young sir, I am con- 
vinced it was a girl.” 

“ Well, who was it? ” 

“ That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” 

“ Oh, all right. I don’t care who sent it,” said 
Davy loftily, picking up his books and stalking out. 

“ Poor, dear little Louise,” murmured Penny. “ I 
know she would like to have these for herself.” She 
stood looking at the flowers for a moment, then she 
glanced at the tall clock in the hall. “ I believe I shall 
have time,” she murmured. Then she rushed up-stairs 
to her room, drew her own little bunch of flowers from 
the vase which held it, replaced it with Louise’s bou- 
quet, ran down-stairs again and hurried from the house. 
Stopping at a corner she tore a leaf from a pad of 
paper she had with her, scribbled upon it the words 
“ Sweets to the sweet,” addressed it to Louise, stole up 
to Miss Varney’s front door and tied the flowers to the 
knob. Then she ran away laughing. The two bou- 
quets were sufficiently unlike for Louise to discover 
that hers had not been returned, which fact she did 
ascertain when she reached home after school, and it is 
safe to say that she valued those which Penny had left 
for her far more than those she had taken to Penny. 
Neither of the girls mentioned the subject till many, 
many weeks after. 


CHAPTER XVI 


NICKNAMES 

P ENNY’S friends were not different from most 
boys and girls when they were given to fastening 
nicknames to one another, so naturally after the car- 
nival she was called Puss almost as frequently as by 
her near-nickname of Penny. Louise was known as 
Bunny, just as Rufus was known as Tile, a soubriquet 
which had worked around from Rufe, as Maj had 
come to Royal from your Majesty. Brownie was 
never called anything but Brownie both at home and 
abroad. If anyone, even at school, had addressed her 
as Adelaide, she probably would have paid no atten- 
tion. Dan Patten was seldom called anything but Pat, 
while Jesse Gale was known as Breezy by the boys. 
Just why these inventions please it is hard to tell, but it 
is without question that they are enjoyed, and some- 
times afford opportunities for those flashes of wit 
which young folks relish. 

It took Louise some time to get used to these pleas- 
antries, and one day when she came into Brownie’s 
house, hot, tired and annoyed, she could not under- 
242 


NICKNAMES 


243 


stand why the other girls laughed when Brownie called 
her a hot cross bun. 

“ But why am I zis ? ” she inquired, looking around 
at the group. 

‘‘ Why is Ann ? ” said Brownie, and again Louise 
was in the dark. 

“ ril tell you why,” Penny offered to clear up the 
mystery. “ You are hot, and cross, and the girls call 
you Bunny because of your having been a rabbit at the 
skating carnival. They are beginning to call me Puss, 
for the reason that I was dressed as a cat.” 

** Is vairy fonny, zis,” returned Louise. ** I now 
onnerstan’, and, too, I laugh. I am a Bonny, so, and 
you are a Poos. Is vairy amuse me. It is more zan 
ze language of books zat I mus’ learn.” 

“ But you have done remarkably well in four 
months,” Penny hastened to tell her. 

I hope,” returned Louise in rather a discouraged 
tone. 

“ Tell us what is your greatest difficulty and we will 
all help you to get over it,” Brownie volunteered. 

“ Ze grammaire is not so hard, but it is to pro- 
nounce. Most difficult of all is that th. My tongue 
refuse to go between the teeth.” 

‘‘ Then we'll put you through a course of training 
every time we get a chance,” Brownie promised, “ and 
after a while it will come perfectly natural. I am 
sure if I were in France or Belgium I should find 
greater difficulties than that.” 


244 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


“ So say we all of us,” Becky concurred. '' I shall 
never be able to manage those irregular French verbs, 
those awful exceptions and those bewildering idioms.” 

Oh, but yes,” Louise contradicted. ** You soon 
would learn ; you who are so clever.” 

Merci, mademoiselle,” returned Becky with a 
sweeping curtsey, 

Louise always has something nice to say even 
when she is a hot cross Bun,” remarked Penny, and 
Louise entirely understanding this time gave her hand 
a squeeze. 

The girls had met this afternoon to make garments 
to send to the little children in devastated France 
and Belgium. Penny was busily crocheting caps. 
Brownie was knitting sweaters, Becky had a pile of 
little wrappers and nightgowns on hand ready to sup- 
ply those workers who had nothing ready to work 
upon. Louise, who sewed beautifully, was doing finer 
things, baby dresses, petticoats and the like. 

Since the talk upon the three monkeys the girls had 
made it a rule that all unkind gossip should be drowned 
out by a song, therefore at the first suggestion of such 
a thing someone started to sing. Nor was this the 
only occasion upon which they did this. The new 
songs were much in vogue, not Penny’s and Brownie’s 
alone, but others contributed. Everyone had made 
copies, Louise’s little French song, among the rest, 
finding favor. 

It was after the work was put away and Brownie 


NICKNAMES 


245 


served her company cocoa, cake and fudge, that Penny 
made her great joke. Louise had shown her a pretty 
little country dance the day before, and Penny wanted 
all the girls to see it. Louise looked around the room 
where there was scarcely place for her performance, 
being, as it was, crowded with girls, all of whom 
wanted to see. 

“ Get up on the table and do it,” suggested Brownie. 

It can’t hurt that old dining-room table ; we have 
used it for everything imaginable.” 

“ Oh, but no,” protested Louise; I might disfigure 
it.” 

** It is no matter if you do,” declared Brownie. 
“We always have a cloth on it.” She switched off 
the cover and displayed a surface somewhat scarred to 
be sure. 

“ It won’t be the first time I have seen a-bun-dance 
on that table,” remarked Penny. 

Everyone clapped, and in the further encouragement 
Louise was persuaded to mount the table and do her 
pretty dance. 

She was in the midst of it when Miss Varney came 
in. “ What in the world is going on ? ” she asked 
after looking in amazement at Louise, who stopped 
short in her performance. 

Brownie explained the situation, and Miss Varney 
sat down to watch Louise finish her dance. 

“ Penny made such a clever joke,” Brownie said as 
she gave Miss Varney a cup of cocoa. 


246 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


“And what was it? ” 

Brownie repeated it, and Miss Varney shook her 
head mournfully. “ I couldn’t have thought it of you. 
Penny,” she declared. “ That is as old as the hills. 
It is in a book of conundrums that my mother had 
when she was young.” 

“ But this isn’t a conundrum,” protested Penny, 
quite taken aback. “ Really, Miss Varney, I never 
heard it before and I myself thought it was quite 
original.” 

“ That shows how often we plagiarize without being 
aware of it.” 

“ What is this plagiarize ? ” asked Louise who had 
come down from her platform and was standing by 
Penny, a place which she always sought. 

“ It means to appropriate something another has 
written, and give it out as our own,” Miss Varney told 
her. 

“ But Penny does not do this.” 

“No, I am sure she is quite innocent, and indeed 
there are few of us who do not attempt to say witty 
things which others have originated. I have often 
heard someone make a very clever remark and have 
heard it repeated, perhaps the very next day, by an- 
other who thereafter was given all the credit.” 

“ There ought to be some way to indicate a spoken 
quotation,” interposed Brownie, “ like making two lit- 
tle dabs each side the mouth, like the printed quotation 
marks. I think I will adopt that plan. How does it 


NICKNAMES 


247 


work, Miss Varney? ’’ She quoted Penny’s joke mak- 
ing the dabs as she proposed. 

It looks absolutely silly,” spoke up Becky Cole, ** if 
you want my opinion.” 

Brownie smiled blandly. ‘‘ But it was Miss Var- 
ney’s opinion I asked.” 

** Then mine is superfluous, I suppose,” returned 
Becky with a little sniflf. 

“ How is the work coming on, girls ? ” questioned 
Miss Varney, changing the subject. 

“ Finely,” Brownie told her. We did a lot this 
afternoon. We want to get all the warm things done, 
caps and sweaters and such, before the cold weather is 
over.” 

good plan. I foresee that I shall be giving out 
a number of merit badges in the spring. How is your 
old pensioner, Mr. Mason, getting on. Penny?” 

“ Very well. Miss Varney,” Penny told her. “ He 
improves steadily, and by spring he will be out on the 
world again. He says he is hibernating like the bears. 
I do wonder what will become of him. He shouldn’t 
be left to himself with no one to look after his wants.” 

“ He should go into some comfortable home, an in- 
stitution provided for such as he.” 

“ Oh, but he would hate that so terribly. I know I 
should. Just think, after living in one spot all your 
life to suddenly be hiked off to a place you didn’t like 
and where you had to mix up with people you didn’t 
know and wouldn’t like if you did know them.” 


248 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 

If I had no home at all, and one of that kind were 
provided for me I should try to bring myself into a 
state of gratitude, though perhaps it would not be 
easy,*’ Miss Varney told her. 

“ Yes, but if you did have a house all your own and 
a little bit of income, wouldn’t you want to have a sort 
of home all to yourself? ” 

“ I suppose I would, but it is easier for a woman to 
make herself comfortable than for a man. What 
about his house. Penny ? I think you told me the boys 
had fixed it up. Is it rented ? ” 

No, Miss Varney, not yet. The boys have fixed 
it up, painted and varnished and stopped leaks, so that 
now it is really quite livable, but no one seems to want 
it because it has no modern conveniences like electric 
lights and all that.” 

“Too bad. Well, someone may come along who 
would be willing to take it as it is, or would be willing 
to go to the expense of putting in some of those things 
and take it out of the rent.” 

“ Oh, do you think anyone would do that? ” 

“ Someone who might take a fancy to the house 
probably would not be averse to making such an ar- 
rangement. Who has the renting of it ? ” 

“No one in particular, at least the boys have put a 
sign up, and have left the key with the people next 
door. Rufus Marshall and Jesse Gale said they would 
talk to anyone who might apply.” 

“ Not a very progressive way of advertising. It 


NICKNAMES 


249 


should be in the hands of a real estate agent. How- 
ever, I hope it will be rented and that a way will be 
found to establish your old friend comfortably. There 
are a great many problems to face these days. I must 
be going, girls. Don’t fail to come to the next rally, 
all of you. We must face these problems together. 
Team work is everything, you know.” 

“We realize that when we get together for such 
work as we have been doing this afternoon. Miss Var- 
ney,” said Becky. 

“And when we had the bazaar,” Leila chimed in. 

“And on every other occasion,” Miss Varney 
averred. “ Good-bye, Thistles. I have enjoyed this 
glimpse of you, and the nice hot cocoa, too. Brownie.” 

She went off leaving the girls to pack up their be- 
longings. Miss Varney was probably the most popu- 
lar teacher in school, and was a much beloved captain 
of her troop. She lived with her mother and widowed 
sister in a pretty, though an old house, on a retired side 
street. The girls preferred that their rallies should be 
there rather than in the big schoolroom, though in the 
latter place there was more room for drilling and other 
exercises. 

“ It is always so cosey at Miss Varney’s,” declared 
Penny as she, lingered with Brownie after the others 
had gone. “ I should think Louise would hate to leave 
there.” 

“ I suppose she will hate it, but there is no immediate 
prospect of her going, is there? ” 


260 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


'' No, unless that Mrs. Somebody-or-other in the 
city decides to take her. She has gone south and 
won’t be home till March or later and then she is to 
let Miss Varney know. It must be horrid to be wait- 
ing around till someone stretches out a patronizing 
hand and says, ‘ Come, little girl, I will be charitable 
enough to give you food and clothes and a roof over 
your head.’ ” 

“ Oh, but Penny, it doesn’t have to be like that 
Anyone who really adopts her would love her and 
treat her exactly as if she were a daughter.” 

“ Perhaps so ; I don’t know,” responded Penny, 
feeling that to lose Louise at all was becoming a ques- 
tion she found it harder and harder to contemplate. 

“ You see,” Brownie went on, not at all feeling as 
Penny did about the matter, and, in fact, being a trifle 
jealous, “ we should be very, very glad to have Louise 
settled, for you know Miss Varney isn’t rich, and it 
certainly would be a relief to her if she could see 
Louise in a good home. I believe the Varneys own 
their house, but have very little more besides Miss Var- 
ney’s salary. I think it was mighty good and kind of 
her to assume the responsibility of Louise for even a 
short time.” 

“Oh, everyone would have to admit that,” re- 
sponded Penny a little impatiently. 

“ I should think you were devoted enough to Miss 
Varney,” Brownie went on, “to want her to be the 
first one considered.” 


NICKNAMES 


251 


Of course I am devoted to her, but that doesn’t 
prevent my wanting Louise to stay here in our town.” 

“ Which she is not likely to do. Now, to put it 
plainly: Which would you rather it should be, that 
Louise stayed indefinitely with Miss Varney and so 
put her to an expense she shouldn’t afford, or that she 
should, Louise, I mean, should go to that city person?” 

‘‘ Oh, Brownie, how you do try to press a point. I 
don’t know; I’d have to think about it.” 

“ I wouldn’t have to think a moment. I am per- 
fectly sure and certain that I should prefer to have 
Miss Varney spared than Louise.” 

“ Then you don’t care for Louise.” 

Oh, yes I do, but I’m not as crazy about her as you 
are. 

‘‘ I’m not crazy about her, but I’m very fond of her 
and I know she is of me.” 

“ Oh, yes, everyone knows that she is perfectly silly 
over you.” 

“ Who says so ? ” 

‘‘ All the girls.” 

This was wholesale comment, and Penny could not 
help feeling annoyed that her friendship and Louise’s 
should be termed silly. She had done more for Louise 
than any of the others and it was perfectly natural 
that the little Belgian girl should care the most for her, 
yet she felt that she could not give this as an excuse, for 
it might seem like boasting of her good deeds. It was 
unlike Brownie to be caustic, so Penny concluded that 


252 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


jealousy was at the root of her remarks. She and 
Brownie had been intimates always, and if it had been 
anyone but Louise who was concerned there might 
have been some reason for Brownie's attitude, but 
Penny felt that Louise stood apart, being not only a 
stranger but a refugee bereft of all whom she had 
loved. That her old friend should not stand shoulder 
to shoulder with her on this, as on other questions, 
made Penny feel quite aggrieved. She remembered 
upon looking back that Brownie's manner toward 
Louise had undergone a gradual change of late and 
that she was by no means as cordial as she had been at 
first. All this flashed through Penny's mind before 
she spoke, and as truth is not always welcome. Brownie 
was not ready to receive her remark in good part. 
“Well, you're all jealous; that's what's the matter,” 
said Penny. 

The color flamed up into Brownie's face. “ It isn't 
so,” she declared. 

“ It is, too,” contradicted Penny. 

“ Excuse me,” retorted Brownie, suddenly becoming 
very polite, “ but you don't know what you're talking 
about.” 

“Excuse me,” Penny was not to be outdone in 
politeness, “ but I do know ; you have made it quite 
apparent, enough for me to be very positive in my 
opinion, and also enough for me to decide that here- 
after I shall consider Louise Fallon my best friend." 

Such a declaration of independence was too much 


NICKNAMES 


253 


for Brownie. She had come as far as the gate with 
Penny, but now she burst into a torrent of tears and 
rushed back into the house, leaving Penny standing. 

For a moment Penny was inclined to follow her and 
make up the first serious quarrel she and her old friend 
had ever had, but pride had its way, so she turned 
toward home without once looking back. Brownie 
had been the offender; let her be the first to make 
overtures. 

She walked home very rapidly, trying to suppress 
the lump which would rise in her throat whenever she 
thought that she had actually quarrelled with her best 
friend. It was the very first time they had parted in 
anger, for though they had had little spats sometimes 
they had always made up before separating. 

“ It isn’t as if it were I alone,” she said to herself, 
'' but it concerns Louise, too, and I shall stand by her 
whether or no.” 

It was pretty hard the next day at school when 
Brownie refused to speak to her, and was even more 
lofty in her manner when Penny sought out Louise at 
recess, much to the latter’s delight, and when school 
was out walked all the way home with the younger 
girl, but neither gave in. Penny made a point of ap- 
pearing very devoted to Louise. They went around 
with arms about each other’s waist, walked home to- 
gether, ate lunch in each other’s company, called 
each other cherie, or hien aimee, carried on low-toned 
conversations in French, and ignored all the whispered 


264 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 


comments, the liftings of eyebrows and meaning looks 
of the other girls. 

As for Brownie, she was of all persons most miser- 
able. Hot jealousy raged in her heart. The more 
pronounced were Penny’s attentions to Louise the 
more unhappy she became. She could not see where it 
was to end. At times she was ready to fall at Penny’s 
feet in contrite mood, to retract that offensive word, 
“ silly,” to do or say anything which would bring 
Penny back. Again she carried her head high, said 
she did not care, was very gay and scornful. When 
she was down in the depths she brooded and sulked. 
When her mood changed she sought out Monica as her 
special companion, and Monica, innocent little soul, 
felt flattered, because Brownie was very popular. Both 
of these two would walk past Penny and Louise whis- 
pering in some corner, and would laugh and chatter as 
if they were having a merry time. Brownie would nod 
condescendingly to Louise, would look over the top of 
Penny’s head as if she did not see her, and then would 
turn to Monica with some such remark as : ‘‘I think I 
prefer rabbits to cats, don’t you? Rabbits haven’t 
much sense, but at least they are perfectly harmless.” 
The more cutting the remark the more satisfaction at 
the moment, but afterward would come remorse, and at 
night Brownie would cry herself to sleep because of 
what she had said, and Penny would do likewise for 
the same reason. 

So matters went on for two or three days, then 


NICKNAMES 


256 


something happened which changed the current of af- 
fairs, and plunged both Brownie and Louise into such 
anxiety and grief that they turned to each other for 
consolation. 


CHAPTER XVII 


A LONG HIKE 


ET’S go on a good long hike.” Penny proposed 



this to Louise the first spring-like day. I 
know the pussy willows must be out, and we can get 
some to bring home. I know a place where there are 
a plenty ; it’s pretty far, but we won’t mind ; we’re both 
good walkers.” 

They started off early in the afternoon. The days 
were perceptibly longer, but the distance they meant 
to go demanded an entire afternoon if they would be 
back in good season. There was a breath of spring in 
the air although the wind was keen, and the sun was 
not yet powerful enough to melt little heaps of snow in 
north corners. These showed blue in the shadows, 
and the fences looked purple along a stretch of yellow 
road. 

Penny drew a long breath as they turned off from 
the town and saw before them brown fields and woods 
already a trifle misty where the buds had begun to ex- 
pand. ‘‘ Isn’t it good ? ” exclaimed Penny. “ I love 
the smell of the earth and to see those gaunt trees 
against the clear sky. Don’t you think bare trees are 
almost finer than leafy ones ? ” 

“ Your trees are so plentiful green,” responded 


256 


A LONG HIKE 


257 


Louise. ‘‘ In this country all is so plentiful. In my 
country we do not realize how big is this and how 
much you have.” 

‘‘ But you have nice things in your country, too. I 
have heard of the fine laces, the delicious pastry stuff, 
and all that.” 

Oh, yes, it was so, and will be again. In Brussels 
so many fine things. The pastry shops there make the 
mouth to water. Do I speak that th better ? ” 

‘‘ Oh, yes, much better. You seldom make a mis- 
take now by saying zat.” 

“ If I were to say mous instead of mouth as once I 
did, you would think I meant a little gray creature 
which run around and squeak,” returned Louise laugh- 
ing. 

‘‘And once you told me that Becky Cole was such a 
sinful creature; I was greatly shocked. You only 
meant that she was thin.” 

“ I know better now than to say thinful when I 
should say but thin. I learn, yes, every day I learn, 
and you, too, cherie, you learn much French with me.” 

“ Indeed I do. Monsieur Lefevre has complimented 
me on my improvement, but I told him that it was all 
due to you.” 

“ He is a good old, this Frenchman teacher,” re- 
sponded Louise, and then seeing the smile come to 
Penny’s lips, she asked : “ What is this I do not say 
well?” 

“We don’t say an old or a blind or a lame, as you 


258 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 

do; we say an old man, an old woman. If we were 
meaning to say what you have just wished to say it 
would be this way: He is a good old man, this French 
teacher, or this French teacher is a good old man.” 

‘‘ I will remember. Is there something else, my 
Penny? ” 

‘‘ I can't think of anything just now, but, dear me, I 
make many more mistakes in French than you do in 
English.” 

‘‘ You would not if your ears heard constantly the 
language of my country as mine do of yours. Some 
day I wish it may be that you go with me to that coun- 
try of mine. I shall keep that wish in mind always.” 

“ Well, stranger things than that have happened, 
Louise ; look at those crows over in that field. Aren't 
they funny? They look exactly as if they were hav- 
ing some sort of convention, and I believe they do that. 
I have heard that they do. What do you suppose they 
discuss? Fd like to understand the language of all 
the beasts and birds.” 

“ Like that Siegfried who tasted of the dragon’s 
blood and could then understand what all those crea- 
tures said. Yes, I should like that too.” 

‘‘ It might not be always flattering to hear their 
comments upon us humans. I can fancy one squirrel 
saying to another : ‘ Look at that huge creature which 
walks upon its hind legs and makes that queer cackling 
sound at times.’ ” 

They both laughed, and became more and more 


A LONG HIKE 


269 


hilarious as they realized that they were making the 
queer cackling sound, but finally they subsided, and 
presently came to a bend of the road where another, 
and narrower, road began. 

We turn off here,'' said Penny, “ then we go 
through that piece of woods. After that we come to 
a little stream where I think we shall find the pussy 
willows. I do hope they are out." 

They trudged on and entered the woods where the 
wind was blustering through the branches of the trees, 
and sending the leaves whirling from underfoot to halt 
in furrowed heaps further on. “ There should be 
trailing arbutus pretty soon," remarked Penny. “ It 
is our early spring flower which you have never seen." 

“ Nor have I seen your spring so beautiful, for I 
am not in this country but only since the fall. What 
is this bird I hear? " 

Penny paused from kicking her feet through the 
dry leaves, and listened. Except for the wind it was 
very quiet, and even the wind came in gusts, a sub- 
dued roar beginning afar off, then coming nearer and 
nearer till it filled the trees overhead, and passed on 
to die away at the edge of the woods. Once in a 
while there was a quick stir in the leaves as some little 
animal skurried from cover, or there was a sound of 
wings above, a quick snap of a twig, the shrill whistle 
of a distant train. The girls stood still listening, and 
in a few moments Louise exclaimed, Hark, there 
it is again." 


260 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TBOOP 


“A bluebird, tlie first IVe heard,’* cried Penny. 
'' Oh, the dear thing, he has come to tell us that spring 
is on the way. Now Fm sure we shall find the pussy 
willows.” 

They hurried on, leaving the bluebird to repeat his 
message to the growing things, and before long they 
came to the little stream babbling along over the rocks, 
quite a vociferous little stream at times, though at 
others only a pleasantly murmuring one, rippling 
here, leaping there, cascading in one place, tranquilly 
flowing in another. The bushes along the brink had 
scarcely begun to push out their points of green, but 
aground in protected places were many low-growing 
plants already displaying flat verdant leaves. And 
there, sure enough, were the pussy willows. 

“ You darlings! ” cried Penny, “ I thought we could 
depend on you. Aren’t they the dearest little things, 
Louise, so soft and gray and furry? We must be 
careful not to get our feet wet, but I do want to get a 
good lot, some for school, some for you to take to 
Miss Varney and some for me to carry home. I am 
taller than you so I’d better get them and you can take 
them as I toss them to you.” 

She picked her way cautiously to the most promising 
branches, broke off a few, then ventured further, but 
here came her mishap, for she slipped on the oozy 
bank and almost fell into the water. However, she 
regained her footing, and was soon making a more 
cautious descent upon the pussy willows. Then she 


A LONG HIKE 


261 


saw some alder tassels which she must add to her col- 
leotion, which she finally decided was sufficiently large. 

“ I hope you didn’t get your feet wet,” said Louise 
anxiously. 

“ I think I did a little, for the water went over my 
rubbers in one place, but I don’t think it will matter, 
for we will get quite warmed up walking. I believe 
we’d better go around the other way where it will be 
drier, and besides, we strike the trolley line some- 
where, and can ride home if we get too tired.” 

They plodded along by the borders of the little 
stream, until they came to an open field. Here Penny 
stood still and looked around. ''We cross this field 
in some direction,” she said, " but I forget which. 
I’ll have to take my bearings. Let me see ; the sun is 
over there; that is west, of course. Now in which 
direction lies our town? We faced the sun most of 
the way along the road, so I should say the town lies 
to the east of us. We’d better face about.” 

" Then we shall be going exactly the way we have 
come.” 

" So we shall. Then we must cross the field, turn 
off somewhere and get out where we can go eastwardly. 
That must be right, for there is nothing left to do but 
that.” 

They crossed the stubbly field diagonally, coming 
out upon a wild place where there was no road at all, 
but only a collection of underbrush, rocks, and scrubby 
pines. 


262 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 


Penny surveyed the scene with a puzzled frown. ** I 
don’t remember this at all,” she told Louise. ‘‘ I won- 
der if we should have crossed the other way. No, this 
can’t be right, there is nothing to do but to go back, 
and follow the line of the field to the other corner; 
that’s obliged to be right. Are you tired, Louise? ” 

'‘A little, not much.” 

We will rest for a few minutes when we get to the 
other side of the field. It is hard walking over stubble 
and rocks.” 

Indeed they were quite ready to sit down when they 
reached the opposite side of the field which they now 
saw opened upon a small clearing beyond which was a 
house and barn. ‘‘We must be near the road,” re- 
marked Penny with satisfaction, laying down her pussy 
willows and seating herself upon a rock. “ Where 
there is a house there must be a road, for how could 
they drive in otherwise? We mustn’t sit too long, 
Louise, for we want to get home before dark, and 
we’ve gone such a roundabout way that it has taken 
more time than I counted upon. Besides,” she 
added with a little shiver, “ the wind is very searching 
and we may take cold if we get chilled after walking.” 

They took up their line of march in a few minutes, 
passing through a barnyard, down a rough road till 
they reached the main one. “ This must turn some- 
where,” observed Penny after a while, “ for it doesn’t 
go east at all, but south. We can’t go back so we’ll 
just have to follow it till we meet some one or get to a 


A LONG HIKE 


263 


turn. I don’t suppose it can be very far before we 
come to another house and we can ask there.” 

They toiled on, neither willing to confess to the 
other how very weary she was getting. There was no 
house in sight, only field after field, patch after patch 
of woods, stretches of wild scrubby land where trees 
had been hewn down, leaving bare trunks and new 
undergrowth. 

Presently Penny caught sight of something white 
flopping on the ground on the other side of the fence 
which bordered the road. Look, look there, Louise,” 
she cried. “ What is that ? ” 

They ran to the fence and looked over to see a white 
turkey hen half flying, half hopping along the ground. 
“ Poor thing ! ” exclaimed Penny, “ it has been hurt. 
I believe its leg is broken. I shouldn’t wonder if it 
had been caught in a trap and had managed to get 
away, but with a broken leg. We can’t let it stay 
there, for it may get into the underbrush and lie there 
till it starves to death. Oh, dear, what can we do? 
Hold these, Louise, while I get over there and see what 
I can do.” She handed her pussy willows to Louise, 
climbed the fence and cautiously approached the 
turkey hen. The poor creature, exhausted from her 
efforts, was now lying still. Penny made a little 
crooning noise as she softly drew nearer. The hen 
looked up at her with soft pathetic eyes, recognizing, 
as animals often do, the presence of a friend. Penny 
knelt down, but the hen made no attempt to get away. 


264 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“ I believe she would let me pick her up,” said Penny 
to Louise, who was looking over the fence. “ I am 
going to try. If I were able to lift her over to 
you, do you believe you could hold her till I get back 
to the road ? ” 

“ I will make my best effort,” returned Louise 
gravely, laying down the bunch of pussy willows. 

Very gently Penny put her hands under the hen and 
lifted her up. There was a slight struggle when she 
was transferred to Louise, but she kept quite still after 
Penny took her again and tried to hold her in a com- 
fortable position. 

“ What are you going to do wis zis poor turkey ? ” 
asked Louise, forgetting her th in her anxiety. 

“ I am going to take her to the first house we come 
to. If she doesn’t belong there the people can tell 
where she does belong and will return her to her 
owners.” 

“ She is not very light, this turkey ; I fear you will 
become much fatigued.” 

“ It can’t be very far now to a house.” 

“ But it grows late. See how low is the sun.” 

“ Yes, I see.” Penny was really very anxious her- 
self, very tired and chilly in spite of her exercise. 
She could not walk very fast with the turkey to carry, 
yet it was the furthest from her thoughts that the hen 
must be abandoned. She must be taken to safety at 
all hazards. What a lonely neighborhood. Where 
were all the houses? Where was the trolley line? 


A LONG HIKE 


265 


They must be going in the right direction, for there 
was no other in which they could go. 

The red ball of sun was dropping behind the spear- 
like points of a grove of fir trees when suddenly Louise 
gave a little cry of relief. “ Look, look,” she said, 
‘‘ there are the poles, the lines of the trolley cars. Is 
it not so? ” 

“ It is indeed,” replied Penny. Now we can’t be 
far from houses. I know there are many along this 
route. Can you see any, Louise ? ” 

“ I think, I am not sure, that one shows a whiteness 
through those trees beyond.” 

“ I think you are right, but I cannot be sure ; it may 
be a church or a schoolhouse. There comes a car up 
the track. If it is the line I think it is, the one coming 
the other way would take us straight back to town. 
They run only every half hour, so if we see one com- 
ing you must take it and get back or Miss Varney will 
be worried.” 

“ You, too, must go.” 

“ No, I must see Madam Turkey to some safe place. 
I couldn’t desert her now, after caring for her and 
bringing her this far.” 

“ But,” protested Louise quaveringly, “ it would be 
worse for me to desert you than for you to desert the 
turkey.” 

“ Not at all, for I shall take the next car, and if you 
wish you can ask Miss Varney to call up my mother 
and tell her not to worry if I should be a little late, 


266 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Don’t you see, Louise, that it will be much the best for 
you to go on ahead and spare them all anxiety? I 
would come if I could, but I couldn’t get in the car 
with this turkey, and if I were to take it to town I 
could never find out to whom it belongs, and I don’t 
want to steal it.” 

“ But, but ” — Louise still protested — ‘‘ how shall I 
know my way ? ” 

“ You can’t miss it. The cars stop at the central 
square, where you know all the cars stop, and from 
there you know the way perfectly.” 

Louise could not deny this, but she was very tear- 
ful, and most unwilling to leave her beloved Penny at 
such a time. However, Penny was obdurate and the 
two stood watching the approaching car, which, as it 
whizzed past, they recognized as having come from 
their town. The down car would soon be in sight, 
they concluded, so they went up the track to where the 
pole with white band indicated where a stop would be 
made. With the going down of the sun the wind 
seemed more searching, and the chill in the air more 
suggestive of winter than spring. 

“ How cold it is growing,” remarked Penny. “ It 
is well I have the turkey to keep my hands warm. 
Isn’t she good? She doesn’t make the slightest at- 
tempt to get away.” 

‘‘ Poor thing, I suppose she knows she can’t and 
surely she is more comfortable in your holding than 
she would be on the bare ground. Do you really think 


A LONG HIKE 267 

it impossible, Penny dear, to take her with you in the 
car?” 

“ Not impossible, but why do it when she would 
have to be brought back here, and that would give a 
second journey? I would much rather get through 
with the business now. There comes your car, Louise. 
Have you car fare enough? It may be more than 
five cents.” 

** I have twenty-five. Miss Varney tells me I must 
never go out without a little money, and you know I 
had several gifts at Christmas, so I do not need more.” 

“You don’t have to worry about where you must 
get out, for the car goes no further than the square, 
and from there it is not far.” 

“ I worry only that I leave you here.” 

“ But in half an hour I shall be taking the next car 
back. It is too bad that we can’t go together, but I 
am sure this is best. I think I see your car coming. 
Say good-bye to the turkey; you probably will never 
see her again.” 

“ You will be sure not to miss that next car? ” 

“ I can’t imagine my missing it. Don’t forget to 
telephone to Mother that I am coming right along.” 

“ I shall not forget and you will telephone me when 
you have arrived.” 

“I will indeed. Keep some of the pussy willows 
for me, and I will get them to-morrow.” 

The car was close now. Louise lifted her face for 
a farewell kiss, boarded the car, and was out of view. 


268 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Penny stood for a moment, feeling suddenly very 
lonely. It would soon be dark. She hoped that was 
a house dimly seen through the trees at the top of the 
hill. She took a firmer hold upon her burden, and set 
out valiantly toward the building. 


CHAPTER XVIII 

LUCKY PENNY IS UNLUCKY 

I T was a toilsome climb up that hill. The turkey ap- 
peared to weigh several more pounds by the time 
the crest was reached, and Penny felt that she could 
not carry it much further. There were no lights in 
the building which she was trying to reach, and when 
she came up to it she found that it was not a dwelling 
house but a small white church. However, just be- 
yond were houses, becoming nearer and nearer to- 
gether as they increased in number, though there were 
not many. By the time she had reached the first 
house,, a modest, homelike looking place where a 
cheery light was burning, she felt almost as if her 
limbs were giving out ; her arms ached, her knees shook 
under her. 

She stepped up on the porch, groped around to find 
the bell, rang it and felt as if it must be hours that 
she stood waiting before she heard footsteps in the 
hall. In reality it was in a very few moments that 
the door was opened by a motherly looking woman 
dressed in mourning. She had a strong, kind face, 
and there was an air of efficiency about her which at 
once appealed to Penny. 

‘‘ I wonder if you could tell me where this poor 
turkey belongs,*’ began the girl. 

269 


270 LUCKY PEKNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 

The woman looked keenly at the pale tired face, 
then at the queer burden. '' Won’t you come in? ” she 
said. “ It is cold outside, and you look tired.” She 
opened the door wider and Penny stepped inside. 
Without stopping in the little hall the woman led the 
way into a brightly lighted room where an open fire 
was blazing on the hearth. The room was simply 
furnished but it had an air of refinement. There were 
books on the table, pictures, carefully chosen, on the 
walls. 

“ You look tired,” repeated the woman. “ Won’t 
you sit down ? ” 

Still keeping her hold on the turkey, Penny found 
a chair and sat down. On her part the turkey uttered 
a feeble little “ Konk,” the bright light and fire 
evidently giving her reason to believe it was daytime 
again. 

Penny felt a queer dazed sensation. She was dizzy 
and she shivered even in this pleasantly warm at- 
mosphere. She sat still without saying a word till the 
woman spoke again. 

You were saying something about the turkey,” 
remarked the woman encouragingly. 

Penny tried to gather her wits together. “ Yes, I 
was,” she said slowly. It is hurt. We found it by 
the road. I was afraid it would die. I want to give 
it to the owner.” She got this far. The room swam 
around. It seemed to grow dark. Everything was 
slipping, slipping away from her. She tried to keep 


LUCKY PENNY IS UNLUCKY 


271 


her grasp upon the turkey, but that, too, appeared to 
be getting away from her. She heard a far-off voice 
say: “ Quick, quick, Billy, bring some water.’’ Then 
she lapsed into utter unconsciousness. For the first 
time in her life Penny had fainted. 

When she returned to consciousness she was lying 
on a sofa, and someone with a kind face was bending 
over her. It slowly came back to Penny this was the 
person in whose house she was. She tried to sit up, 
but was gently forced back on the pillow. 

There, there, dear, don’t try to get up,” said her 
hostess soothingly. Keep quiet and you will be all 
right after a while.” 

Penny closed her eyes again, but presently opened 
them to say, I have to go. I must go. My mother 
will be so worried.” 

Tell me your mother’s name and address and I 
will telephone her. You are perfectly safe.” 

“ My mother is Mrs. Robert Atwood, and we live 
at 356 Maple Avenue.” Penny was able to tell this 
much then felt herself slipping off again into vacancy. 

After a while she opened her eyes again to see the 
same kind face. “ It is all right, dear,” she was told. 

I am Mrs. Towers and I shall look after you. I 
have telephoned your mother and you are to stay with 
me to-night, so think no more about it.” 

It was such a relief to Penny to think that she did 
not have to move that she lost sight of everything else, 
and lay quite still, drifting off, coming back, drifting 


272 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


off again. Every time she opened her eyes there sat 
Mrs. Towers by her side. All sorts of queer objects 
appeared to float before her ; all sorts of strange fancies 
possessed her. Only once or twice she spoke ; the first 
time it was to say: “There was a turkey, or did I 
dream it ? ” 

“ Yes, there was a turkey,” Mrs. Towers smiled, 
“ and it is in good hands. You need think no more 
about it now.” 

Meantime there was consternation and concern in 
the house of Atwood. First Mrs. Atwood was called 
to the 'phone to take a message from Louise. “ This 
is Miss Varney speaking, Mrs. Atwood,” was what was 
heard. “ Louise has just come in from a long tramp 
with Penny. They somehow lost their way, or at 
least went further than they intended, so were belated. 
They came upon a lame turkey which Penny insisted 
upon carrying to a place of safety, so she sent Louise 
home by the trolley and is coming herself on the next 
car. She wanted you to know so you would not be 
worried.” 

There was some more talk and then the conversa- 
tion ended. Mrs. Atwood went to the kitchen. “You 
needn’t wait supper, Rilly,” she said. “ Miss Penny 
won’t be in for half an hour yet, and Mr. Atwood will 
not want to wait. You can save something hot.” 

“ What de reason she ain’t a-comin’ ? ” questioned 
Rilly, always interested in what concerned any member 
of the family. 


LUCKY PENNY IS UNLUCKY 


273 


“ She went off into the country and came across a 
lame turkey which she felt obliged to carry home/' 

‘‘Ain' dat jes lak Miss Penny? Won'er to me it 
ain't a rat er a wil'cat. Tu'key, I say tu'key. She de 
mos' resumptions chile ever I saw." Just what Rilly 
meant by resumptions no one ever could find out, but 
it was a favorite word of hers and was used on all 
occasions. It was not intended to stand for pre- 
sumptuous, nor for resoluteness; in this case it prob- 
ably meant adventurous. 

Mrs. Atwood was at the window watching anxiously 
for her daughter's return when the telephone rang 
again. Davy answered it. “ Someone to speak to 
you. Mother," he announced. 

Mrs. Atwood went to answer and heard a strange 
voice say: “Is this Mrs. Atwood, Mrs. Robert At- 
wood of 356 Maple Avenue?" 

“ This is Mrs. Atwood speaking," came the reply. 

“ I am Mrs. Towers. Your little daughter is at my 
house, and I think you'd better allow me to keep her 
over night. She has taken cold and is quite tired 
out." 

“ Oh, but my dear Mrs. Towers, I think she'd better 
come home. I can come out for her when my hus- 
band returns. He has gone back to his office, but will 
not be away longer than an hour; we can come out 
then." 

“ I don't want to be insistent," came back over the 
'phone, “ but I really think it would be wiser to let her 


274 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


remain where she is. I am a trained nurse, Mrs. At- 
wood, or at least I have been up to the end of the war, 
and I hope you will permit me to advise you in this 
matter. There may be nothing at all wrong with your 
daughter, and she may be quite right in the morning, 
but it is possible that she is developing grippe. She 
has some fever and under such conditions you can see 
that it would not be prudent to allow her to go out 
to-night. T will give her the very best of care, I 
promise you, and will call you up first thing in the 
morning to let you know how she is.” 

“ Oh, but Mrs. Towers, I can't impose on you in 
this way,” protested Mrs. Atwood. 

“ It is no imposition at all, it is a very slight thing 
indeed compared to the things I did in France, and it 
would gratify me very much if you would give your 
consent.” 

There was a pause while Mrs. Atwood considered 
the question, then Mrs. Towers spoke again. “ I am 
living in the little village of Marden, which, as per- 
haps you know, is about five miles from town. There 
is an excellent doctor close by whom I can call in if 
necessary, so please feel that your little girl will be 
properly cared for.” 

“ You are really too kind, Mrs. Towers,” Mrs. At- 
wood spoke again. “Do you think my daughter is 
really ill?” 

“ It is a little too soon to decide that, but I think it 
is a case where every precaution should be taken.” 


LUCKY PENNY IS UNLUCKY 


275 


“ Then I will trust your judgment, and you will let 
me know first thing in the morning how Penny is.” 

“ I will not fail to do so, and I hope I may give you 
a good report.” 

“ I do not know how to thank you.” 

“ There are no thanks due. I have lost a precious 
daughter a little younger than yours. Need I say 
more ? ” 

This ended the conversation, but in a few minutes 
the telephone rang again. This time it was Louise 
who wanted to know if Penny had returned, and was 
aghast when told where she was, and that she had been 
taken suddenly ill. Oh, why did I leave her ? Why 
did I leave her ? ” mourned Louise. “ I should not 
have done so, should I, Mrs. Atwood? ” 

“It was much better that you did,” Mrs. Atwood 
comforted her. “ You could have done no good, and 
it would only have complicated matters if you had 
stayed. As it is I shall go out first thing in the morn- 
ing and bring Penny home. I hope to find that she is 
much better and only needs rest and quiet.” 

“ But she is wis strangers, and how will she be 
happy ? ” 

“If she is not feeling well, it is better that she 
should be well cared for than to be exposed to the night 
and have the excitement of a journey home. I am 
going to call up Dr. Upton and will find out if he 
knows Mrs. Towers or anything about her.” 

“And please, if you will tell me.” 


276 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“ I will indeed. Now, don’t worry, Louise. You 
have nothing at all to blame yourself for.” 

The next thing was to call up Dr. Upton, who gave 
such a satisfactory account of Mrs. Towers that Mrs. 
Atwood’s mind was set at rest. “Mrs. Towers?” 
said Dr. Upton. “ I don’t know of a better nurse. 
She is a lady in the first place, married Dr. Towers. 
He went over to France and died there, gave his life, 
in fact, for he never spared himself during the first 
year of the war, so when he had pneumonia he had no 
strength to resist it. Then Mrs. Towers, feeling that 
she could in a measure continue his work, went over 
and nursed the sick and wounded till the close of the 
war. She left her little son with relatives. There 
was a daughter who died when she was about twelve 
years old, a great grief to them that was. She took a 
little house at Marden, and lives there with her boy. 
A fine woman, Mrs. Atwood, a fine woman. I knew 
them very well. You couldn’t ask that Penny should 
be in better hands.” 

So while Penny was unlucky in having fallen ill 
away from home, yet it was her luck to have gone to 
Mrs. Towers. How long she lay on the sofa seeing 
visions she did not know. There was a little boy who 
came and went. She could not make him out. Some- 
times she thought it was Davy, then Sammy Potter, 
again it would be Peter Nugent, but generally it was 
an unfamiliar face that she saw, a sunny little face 
with wide open blue eyes, rosy cheeks, a funny little 


LUCKY PENNY IS UNLUCKY 


277 


tumed-up nose, and a mouth sometimes smiling, some- 
times very grave. Then there were two tiny white 
objects which went around and around first in one 
direction then in another. They couldn’t be white 
turkeys; they were much too small, but there was a 
white turkey that she knew something about. What 
was it about the white turkey? She endeavored to 
think but as she tried to snatch at facts they glided 
from her and she saw nothing but queer colored spots 
and figures weaving in and out in a sort of rhythmic 
dance, glowing, fading, brightening again, heard noth- 
ing but low toned voices. 

In course of time she was conscious that she was 
no longer lying on the sofa but in a clean white bed. 
Whose room was this? It was not her own nor her 
mother’s. Who was the woman with the kind eyes 
and the soft brown hair? Her mother did not look 
like that. Who was the gray-haired man who stuck 
something hard in her mouth and laid his head against 
her chest? It was not her father. She grew very 
weary of trying to find out these things. How her 
back ached, and those shooting pains up and down her 
legs, what did they mean? She didn’t carry turkeys 
with her legs, but in her arms. What a queer world 
this was into which she had wandered. 

So went the night, and the morning found a very 
ill Penny, but one quite unaware of what went on 
around her. For the next twenty-four hours her 
temperature ran high; she tossed and moaned rest- 


278 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


lessly, muttering strange things about tiny white 
turkeys which would go round and round, about a 
little boy whom she called sometimes Davy, sometimes 
Sammy, sometimes Peter. Then she would call, 
Louise, Louise, please don't let Brownie cry. I can't 
help it. I can't help it. I'm not a cat. Yes, I am a 
cat. I sit on the wall and try to catch birds." 

Fortunate it was that she had fallen into such com- 
petent hands. Mrs. Atwood appeared as soon after 
she had Mrs. Towers's message as it was possible to 
reach Marden, for, learning that Penny had a bad 
attack of grippe, she left the house in Rilly's charge, 
packed a hand-bag, and called a taxi to take her to 
Penny's side. Mrs. Towers's calm strength did much 
to relieve her apprehension, even when matters were at 
their worst. Together the two watched, one during 
the day, one at night. Good old Dr. Appleton, close at 
hand, came in frequently. Dr. Upton came, too, but 
after a second visit gave over the case to his colleague, 
for by that time Penny's fever had decreased, and she 
needed only careful nursing. 

She opened her eyes one morning and looked around 
the room quite sanely, seeing soft gray walls upon 
which hung but one or two pictures. A neat, quiet 
room it was, though entirely unfamiliar. She looked 
up and saw her mother. ‘‘ Where am I ? " she asked 
weakly. 

“ In the house of a dear friend,” her mother an- 
swered. 


LUCKY PENNY IS UNLUCKY 


279 


“Brownie's house? No, Brownie isn't my friend 
any more." The tears began to course down the thin 
pale cheeks. 

“ Don't, dear," said her mother soothingly. “ Of 
course Brownie is your friend. She and Louise have 
come out here nearly every day to inquire how you are 
getting on." 

“ She and Louise ? Together ? " 

“ Yes, always together." 

“ But, but — what am I doing here ? " 

“ You have been quite ill, but you are going to get 
well now. There, darling, don't try to think. You 
shall be told all about it when you are stronger. Just 
lie still. Everything is going on exactly right. Your 
mother is with you." 

Penny closed her eyes again. She felt very tired, 
and was glad she could lie still and rest. She didn't 
care very much about anything except to be let alone. 
Once in a while she looked to be sure that her mother 
was there, but that was the extent of her desire. She 
roused herself after some hours when she heard whis- 
pered talk in the room, and saw someone whose face 
was familiar, yet, strange to say, she could not place 
her. This person came over to the bedside and laid 
a cool hand on Penny's head, smiling down at her as 
she did so. “ Well, dear child," she said, “ how do 
you feel ? " 

“ Like a rag," answered Penny. 

Mrs. Towers turned to Penny's mother. “ She'll 


280 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TROOP 

soon be all right/^ she declared. ‘‘ She must have a 
cup of broth.” 

The broth did not taste very good, not near as good 
as Rilly’s chicken broth always did, and Penny pushed 
the cup away after a few mouthfuls. 

‘‘ Don’t you like it, dear ? ” asked her mother 
anxiously. 

‘‘No, it tastes queer, or rather it hasn’t any taste at 
all.” 

Mrs. Towers nodded understandingly. “ That is to 
be expected,” she told Penny’s mother. “ It will be 
some time before things taste right.” 

And so it was, although all sorts of delicacies came 
from here, there and everywhere. Brownie brought 
broth, Louise brought jelly, Monica came with fruit, 
but none of these did Penny want and took only what 
was forced upon her. Yet her strength grew day by 
day and with it her interest in things. At first she 
could not bear her mother out of her sight, but grad- 
ually she realized the selfishness of this and was con- 
tent that she should be left in Mrs. Towers’s charge 
while her mother made a daily visit home. This new 
friend in time won her heart completely, and was 
ready to answer the questions which now Penny felt 
must be made. One of the first of these was: “ Where 
is the turkey? There was a white turkey, wasn’t 
there ? I didn’t dream about it ? ” 

“ No, indeed. You and the turkey appeared to- 
gether.” 


LUCKY PENNY IS UNLUCKY 


281 


“ Tell me all about it.” 

‘‘ It was just about dark when you rang my bell. 
I went to the door to see a little girl, about your size, 
looking very pale and tired and carrying in her arms a 
white turkey. You may imagine my surprise at this 
apparition. I asked her to come in, and she told me 
she had picked up the turkey on the road and wanted 
to find the owner. After this statement she casually 
fainted away.” 

Oh, dear, did I do that? ” 

“ That is just what you did. I laid you on the 
sofa, and there you stayed till you were put to bed, 
for I was not long in finding out that you were a 
pretty sick girl who had been seized with an attack of 
grippe in the very sudden way which grippe has. I 
managed to get your mother’s address from you be- 
fore you wandered off into that strange land where 
delirium often takes us, and so I could let her know 
about you.” 

But the turkey. When I lost my bearings in that 
horrid way, what did I do with the turkey ? ” 

** My little son, Billy, came in just in time to take it 
from you. Later on we discovered that it had a 
broken leg which I managed to put in splints. Billy 
made a coop for it out of a box and we kept it that 
night and part of the next day, feeding it, of course, 
meanwhile. Billy inquired around and found out 
where it belonged so we sent word to the owner, who 
came for it, and now it is going around as lively as you 


282 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


please. It has always been a sort of pet, and they were 
exceedingly glad to get it back again.'’ 

“ I thought it seemed very tame,” Penny commented. 
“ I certainly am glad it could go back where it be- 
longed. Then there is another thing that puzzles me. 
I seem to remember seeing something very small and 
white waltzing around and around. Did I dream 
that?” 

Mrs. Towers smiled. “ No, that was as much of 
a reality as the turkey. Billy has a pair of little 
waltzing mice, Japanese, I believe they are. He had 
them in a cage in the living-room that evening, though 
he usually keeps them up in his own room.” 

“ May I see them some day ? ” 

“ Certainly you may.” 

‘‘ I want to see Billy, too. I think he must be my 
dream boy. Has he very wide open blue eyes, a smil- 
ing mouth, and a cunning turned-up nose ? ” 

“ You have described him exactly.” 

“How old is he?” 

“ He is eight. My little girl, if she had lived, would 
have been twelve.” 

“ He is just my brother Davy’s age, and your little 
girl the age of Louise. What was your little girl’s 
name ? ” 

“ Helen.” 

“That is one of Louise’s names, Louise Helene 
Fallon. When may I see your Billy and the white 
mice ? ” 


LUCKY PENISTY IS UNLUCKY 283 

“ Why, almost any time.” 

“Now?” ' 

Mrs. Towers considered this for a moment and came 
to the conclusion that Penny would be less excited in 
seeing Billy than in receiving one of her own friends, 
so she went off to call him, while Penny waited con- 
tentedly to make the acquaintance of her dream boy. 


CHAPTER XIX 


FRIENDS AGAIN 


PTER this it became a thing of daily occurrence 



that Penny should expect a visit from Billy and 
his white mice. A trifle shy at first, Billy soon be- 
came very much at home, and chattered away, enter- 
taining Penny with news of the neighborhood and his 
school. Penny, on her part, told him about Davy, 
Sammy and Peter, about Tommy Thistle, Madam 
Gray, Mr. Mason, Louise, until Billy was eager to 
see them all. 

The first day that Penny was allowed to sit up, 
propped around by pillows in a big chair, she had her 
first real visitors. Her father and Davy had come to 
see her while she was still in bed, but all outside the 
family were denied admittance. Spring had made 
quite a stride forward since that day when Penny 
heard the first bluebird. Pussy willows had given place 
to arbutus, arbutus to spring beauties and bloodroot. 
Scarce a day but Billy brought her some little blossom 
newly out. Forsythia flung its yellow branches grace- 
fully across a lattice. The lilac buds were swelling. 
Maple trees began to show tiny red leaves. 


284 


FRIENDS AGAIN 


285 


Penny’s chair was drawn near the window so she 
could look out. Simple and restful as the room was 
she had wearied of looking at the same things and was 
quite excited over a new scene. Oh, how green the 
grass is,” she exclaimed, “ and the robins have come, 
I hear one. The hills over there are a real rosy purple, 
not the winter purple but a spring color. Oh, how 
glad I shall be to get out-of-doors again.” 

“ I shall miss my little patient,” said Mrs. Towers 
with a little sigh. 

“ I should think you would be glad to get rid of 
such a troublesome person,” said Penny, laying her 
cheek against her nurse’s hand. 

Indeed I shall not be, and Billy is already mourn- 
ing over the fact that you are not to be with us al- 
ways.” 

‘‘ I wish you would come to town to live, Mrs. 
Towers. Why don’t you ? ” 

** For several reasons. It is cheaper living here, and 
then my boy is free to run out-of-doors all he wants. 
Of course when he is older and has to go to another 
school I shall have to think about moving. You know 
Billy is all I have left, and it seems best just now that 
we should stay on here.” 

But if you had your little girl you would go to 
town, wouldn’t you ? ” 

“ Yes, in all probability I should. It would not be 
fair to keep her from making friendships which I 
should wish her to have.” 


286 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


“ I would be one of her friends. Do you mind talk- 
ing about her, or would you rather not ? 

“ I like to very much. There are very few persons 
to whom I can talk about her. Billy scarcely remem- 
bers her, and my nearest relatives are not many. Helen 
was such a dear child, so thoughtful for such a little 
girl. I used to look forward to the time when we 
could be even closer comrades.” 

“ I should like it very much if I could see a picture 
of her.” 

“ Then, my dear child, you shall. There is one in 
my room taken the year she left me, and it is the one 
I like best. I will get it.” 

She brought the photograph and Penny studied it 
earnestly. Please tell me the color of her eyes and 
hair and then I shall feel as if I knew her. She looks 
a little like you, I think.” 

‘‘ But more like her father, with brown eyes, and 
hair much darker than mine or Billy's. I often think 
how happy those two must be up there together. Well, 
I should not be selfish ; I have my Billy boy.” 

She carried the photograph back and Penny sat 
looking very thoughtfully out of the window. She 
wondered how Mrs. Towers could be so brave and 
cheerful after all she had suffered. Penny had said 
as much to her mother the day before and had received 
the answer: ‘‘It is because she has suffered so much. 
I think most times it is when persons have not suffered 
enough that they complain. When sorrow has laid its 


FEIENDS AGAIN 


287 


hand heavily upon them they learn the value of cour- 
age and cheerfulness.” 

“ You would have been just as brave, wouldn’t you, 
if I hadn’t lived? ” 

Her mother then gave her a swift kiss. ‘‘ I don’t 
know, Penny darling. I can’t answer for myself un- 
der such a grief. I know I am very, very thankful 
that you were spared to us.” 

‘‘ Then I was really pretty ill, wasn’t I ? ” 

‘‘ Very ill for a time, but don’t let us talk about that 
now. All my life long I shall be grateful to heaven 
that you happened to come to Mrs. Towers, and as for 
her, I cannot tell you what I feel. No sister could 
have done more.” 

Penny thought of this conversation as she sat look- 
ing out of the window watching the passers-by. There 
were not many, for most persons went the other way 
into the village. Once in a while a farm wagon would 
go lumbering along, or an automobile would whiz by. 
Sometimes persons who had been into the town on the 
trolley cars would hurry home with their arms full of 
bundles. It seemed strange to be sitting here five miles 
from home, looking at people who were perfect stran- 
gers, not a familiar face nor form. It was just as 
strange, and stranger. Penny reflected, that she had 
been stopping all this time in the house of a person she 
had never heard of a short time before. She would 
be just a little wee bit sorry to leave, for she had 
learned to love Mrs. Towers and Billy, too. What a 


288 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


lot she would have to tell the girls, and what a lot they 
would have to tell her. She wondered if Brownie 
really wanted to be friends again, and what she would 
say when they met. 

She had not long to wait to know this, for presently 
she saw two figures coming along the street, two that 
looked very familiar. Brownie and Louise coming to 
inquire after her. Oh, that she might see them. She 
rang the little hand bell left with her to use when she 
wanted anything, and in a moment Mrs. Towers came 
hurrying in. What is it, dear, what is it.^’' she 
asked. 

Oh dear, Mrs. Towers, couldnT I see Brownie and 
Louise? They are my best friends, you know. It 
won’t hurt me, will it? I do so much want to see 
them. They are just coming in the gate.” 

** You may see them if they will not stay too long.” 

“ Tell them that and I know they won’t. You tell 
them when they must go, and I am sure they will 
hurry right away.” 

Billy had gone to the door and was now half-way 
up the steps to ask his mother what he should say to 
the two girls. You can tell them they may come up 
for a few minutes,” said his mother. 

Penny leaned forward expectantly. Brownie was 
the first to enter. She paused in the doorway, then 
took a hesitating step. Penny held out her hands, and 
Brownie rushed toward her, dropped on her knees by 
the side of the chair, and put her arms around her 


PEIENDS AGAIN 


289 


long-time friend. ‘‘ Oh, Penny, Penny,” was all she 
could say. 

‘‘ You do love me, don’t you? ” whispered Penny. 

“ More, more than ever.” 

Then Louise came in timidly, her eyes shining. She 
came close up to the chair but did not attempt an em- 
brace. ‘‘ My Penny, my Penny,” she said softly. 
“ What a joy to see you again.” 

“Aren’t you going to kiss me, either of you? ” asked 
Penny. 

“ Oh, may we ? ” 

“ I don’t see why not. I won’t melt unless your 
kisses are too ardent.” 

“ That sounds like our precious old Penny,” cried 
Brownie, leaning over to give her a delicate kiss on 
the cheek. 

Louise followed her example, only she kissed both 
cheeks in foreign fashion. 

“ Sit down and let me look at you,” said Penny. 
“ It seems a thousand years since I saw any of my 
friends, and yet you don’t look a bit older. Oh me, 
there are so many things I want to ask you, and so 
many I want to tell you that I don’t know where to 
begin, especially as Mrs. Towers says you can’t stay 
very long this first time.” 

“Then perhaps you’d better let us do most of the 
talking,” Brownie suggested. “ Give us an idea of 
what you most want to know and we’ll try to give the 
information in a nutshell.” 


290 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


I want to know all about Thistle Troop, all about 
school, all about what has happened to each of you 
separately, what the Boy Scouts are doing, what the 
teachers are doing, how the Nugents are getting along, 
how Mr. Mason is, and all the rest of it.” 

The girls laughed. “ That’s a pretty large order, as 
Rufe would say,” Brownie responded. “ Beginning 
with Thistle Troop, I will say that we are getting up 
a fund to buy nature books, on trees, birds, flowers, 
anything of that kind. We are also planning our 
summer campaign.” 

Penny sighed. “ Just think how much time I have 
wasted being ill.” 

‘‘ But it won’t be time wasted getting well,” re- * 
turned Brownie cheerfully. ‘‘ I told the girls that I 
hoped to see you fbr a minute, and they all sent their 
love, so did Miss Varney and Miss Darby, too.” 

‘‘We speak of you much, every day we speak, and 
we wish the day will soon come when you are again 
with us,” said Louise. “ Me, I miss you so that I have 
no words to say how much. If it were not for 
Brownie I cannot tell what I should do, but she is so 
kind she will not allow me to become lonely.” 

Penny gave Brownie a speaking look and Brownie 
smiled back happily. When the time came that the 
visitors must go it was Brownie who ran back for a 
last kiss. “You do forgive me, don’t you?” she 
asked. 

“ Of course, you dear thing. It was all so foolish, 


PEIENDS AGAIN 


291 


such a little thing to quarrel about,” Penny confessed. 
“ I have had time to think of it and to realize what a 
goose I was to pay any attention to what you said.” 

‘'If you were a goose,” returned Brownie peni- 
tently, “ I was a whole flock of them. The idea of 
my being jealous of dear little Louise. I have tried to 
make up for it by taking your place so far as I could. 
You will always be first, as you should be, but we have 
grown very fond of each other.” 

“ I am so glad,” responded Penny, giving her old 
friend another hug. Then Mrs. Towers called up that 
Brownie would have to hurry if she wanted to catch 
the next car, so off she rushed, leaving a very happy 
Penny. 

This visit appeared to be the impetus that Penny 
needed in order to improve rapidly. She was able to 
sit up longer and longer each day, and planned to go 
home in a week's time. Meanwhile she had visitors 
every afternoon. Monica, in a big shining limousine, 
came with a wonderful basket of flowers from the con- 
servatory, Leila appeared with a pretty little bed jacket 
which she had knitted herself. Miss Varney came with 
Louise one afternoon, bringing a fascinating book. 
Even stately Miss Darby made a call upon her, and no 
less surprising was it that Mrs. Potter should call to 
ask after the patient. She brought Sammy with her, 
and while Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Towers were talking 
together Sammy made the acquaintance of Billy and 
the waltzing mice. 


292 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


But the most surprising visitor of all was announced 
one morning when Penny was feeling particularly 
bright and well. “ Do you think you could see a 
stranger? ’’ asked Mrs. Towers. ‘‘ One of my neigh- 
bors is very anxious to come up.'’ 

‘‘ I'm sure I feel well enough to see anyone," re- 
sponded Penny, glad of a ripple to stir the monotony 
of convalescence. She was sitting in the big chair by 
the window, clad in the pretty pink wrapper her mother 
had brought her. The spring sunshine was streaming 
in, touching to brighter hues the many lovely flowers 
with which her friends had supplied her. Books and 
picture papers lay on the table by her side. The room 
was exquisitely neat, and Penny herself looked a very 
contented convalescent. 

She heard footsteps on the stairs, a little piping 
voice, a deeper one, then Mrs. Towers opened the door 
and ushered in a great burly man and a little dot of a 
child. “ This is our neighbor, Mr. Boggs," said Mrs. 
Towers, “ and this young lady is Miss Cleora Boggs." 

Mr. Boggs strode up and offered a massive hand. 
‘‘ Hope I see you better, miss," he said. “ Cleora, 
come speak to the lady and thank her for finding your 
turkey, thank her pretty, now." 

The dot came shyly up and held out a hand as tiny 
in proportion as her father's was big. '' Thank you 
ma'am," said the piping voice. 

“ You are very welcome, very welcome indeed," 
Penny smiled at the small person. “ I wouldn't have 


FEIENDS AGAIN 


293 


had anything happen to the turkey for anything. It 
was such a nice gentle one. So it is yours ? ’’ 

Yes, miss,” the man spoke up, and it wouldn’t 
have been anybody’s but for you. We’d hunted the 
place over for it. You see, it’s a pet. Cleora here’s 
all we’ve got. Me- and my wife lost three children 
before she came. She’s kind of pindling, and don’t 
grow very fast, but we’re hoping she’ll get a start after 
a while. She ain’t but five. We do set a heap of 
store by her and it was pretty tough to have her pet 
turkey get away.” 

“Sit down, won’t you, Mr. Boggs?” said Mrs. 
Towers, offering a chair, in which the big man seated 
himself gingerly and took the doll-like child on his 
knee. Her hair was carefully curled; she wore a 
bracelet and a ring, a chain and locket. Evidently she 
was pranked out especially for the occasion. 

“ Now tell the lady what we’re going to do,” said 
her father. 

The child looked up in his face then shyly down 
again. Her father said something to her in a rumbling 
whisper. “ We’re going to give you a little turkey,” 
Cleora’s small voice shrilled out. 

“Not a little one,” Mr. Boggs prompted; “we’re 
going to save one of the white turkey’s brood for the 
lady’s Christmas; that’s what we’re going to do, ain’t 
we? ” 

Cleora nodded her head vigorously. “ We’re going 
to save one for your Christinas.” 


294 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


**And we’re going to take it to her ourselves/’ 

‘*And we’re going to take it to her ourselves,” re- 
peated Cleora. 

Why, how perfectly fine that will be,” cried Penny, 
‘‘ but I am afraid I shall be robbing you.” 

“Not a bit of it, not a bit,” insisted Mr. Boggs. 
“ It was mighty good of you to lug that turkey all the 
way up hill along a right lonely road, mighty good. 
Any little old turkey we could give you wouldn’t in no 
way make up for the white one. I don’t know why it 
is, but Cleora thinks more of that turkey hen than of 
all her pets, don’t you, Cleora ? ” Again a vigorous 
nod from the child. 

“ I guess you must like animals,” Mr. Boggs con- 
tinued, “ or you wouldn’t have taken all that trouble 
about them.” 

“ Oh, I do,” responded Penny ; “ I think I like any 
animals, except perhaps rats.” 

Mr. Boggs burst into a loud guffaw which he as 
suddenly subdued. “ Excuse me, miss,” he apologized, 
“ but most ladies are scared to death of mice ; they 
don’t go so far as rats.” 

“ I’m not afraid of mice; in fact I rather like them. 
Billy has a pair of waltzing mice, and I like them im- 
mensely.” 

“Waltzing mice? I never heard of that kind. 
They’d be something new, wouldn’t they, dot ? ” 

Dot acquiesced with a nod, and Mrs. Towers of- 
fered to show off the mice when they went down-stairs. 


FEIENDS AGAIN 


295 


“ Reckon weVe been here long enough,” at last said 
Mr. Boggs, rather hesitatingly and awkwardly. 
‘‘ We’d be proud and glad to have you come and see 
Cleora’s pets, miss,” he ventured. ‘‘Any time you 
happen to be out this way. We’re on a pretty lonely 
road, and the house sets right smart of a ways in, but 
it’s sort of pretty when you get there. Wife ain’t 
much of a visitor, but she asked me to give her thanks 
along with ours.” 

After bidding Cleora to say good-bye nice and 
pretty,” Mr. Boggs bore her off to see the white mice 
and left Penny smiling over the interview and ready 
to ask Mrs. Towers all sorts of questions when she 
next came in. 

“ They are good, kind people, plain as pipe stems, 
but as honest as the day, hard working and excellent 
neighbors. They have a big farm which they make 
pay. The little girl is their only child and the apple 
of their eyes. When she was born it was hardly 
thought she would live at all, but she was so cared for 
and cherished that she pulled through, and probably 
will grow stronger as she grows older. Mr. Boggs 
asked for your address, so I think you can count on 
that turkey next Christmas.” Mrs. Towers did not 
say more just then, for her attention was attracted by 
an automobile full of young folks which had just 
stopped before the door. 

Penny saw, too, and cried out, ‘‘ Oh, Mrs. Towers, 
there come a lot of my friends, boys and girls. It is 


296 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


Saturday, you know, so there is no school. Oh, do 
you think I can see them? ” 

Mrs. Towers looked dubious. “ Why, my dear, you 
have already received all the company you are entitled 
to in one day.” 

“ But I feel so well,” pleaded Penny. 

“ Then you can see no one this afternoon, but must 
take a long rest. How many of them are there out 
there ? ” 

Penny counted: Rufus Marshall and his brother, 
the brother is driving the car, so I needn’t see him, one, 
Jesse is two, Dan is three, then there are Becky Cole, 
Brownie and Rena, oh, yes, and Flora Cassidy, I didn’t 
see her, that makes seven altogether.” 

“ I think you’d better leave out those whom you 
have seen already. Four should be the limit.” 

Then will you please explain? ” 

This Mrs. Towers did with the result that the three 
boys and one girl, that girl being Flora, came solemnly 
into the room bearing gifts of fruit, flowers, books 
and magazines, but Penny greeted them so cheerfully 
and appeared so bright and well that the gravity soon 
unbent, although they were allowed to stay but a few 
minutes. 

She was pretty tired by the time the morning was 
over, so when Louise arrived in the afternoon she was 
not permitted to see the patient. So great was her 
disappointment, as this was the first time she had come 
alone, that Mrs. Towers told her if she would stay 


FEIENDS AGAIN 


297 


till after Penny had had her nap she could see her for 
ten minutes. Mrs. Towers knew all about Louise as 
she did about Mr. Mason, the Nugents, the work of 
the Girl Scouts, for she and Penny had many long 
talks together in which both grew confidential. 

So while Penny slept Louise and Mrs. Towers 
chatted about many things, finally becoming so ab- 
sorbed in their reminiscences of the war, the condition 
of things in Belgium and France, and finding so much 
in common, that time flew and it was dark before they 
knew it. 

Don’t you think you could spend the night with 
us? ” asked Mrs. Towers. “ I don’t like to have you 
go home alone^ and I can telephone to Miss Varney 
that you are here. I have a little room next to Penny’s 
and would love to have you occupy it. Then we won’t 
let Penny know you are here till morning when she is 
fresh and bright. I really think she has seen quite as 
many persons as prudent to-day.” 

Of course Louise was delighted at this proposition, 
and the matter was arranged without delay. 

Therefore when morning came what was Penny’s 
surprise and delight to see entering with her break- 
fast tray, who but Louise. Why, what in the 
world ” she began. “How did you get here?” 

“ By the car,” replied Louise, all smiles. 

“ But so early, and Sunday morning, too.” 

Louise’s smiles broadened. “ What would you say 
if I am to tell you that I have been here all night ? ” 


298 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


“ Really ? Why, Louise, and I didn’t know it. 
Why didn’t you come up ? ” 

“ Because that good Mrs. Towers tell me I must 
not. It is for the reason that I am so disappointed 
that she propose that I spend the night. She telephone 
Miss Varney to receive her permission and here I am 
to have the joy of a long talk with you this morning 
before any others come.” 

‘‘ How perfectly fine. Isn’t Mrs. Towers the very 
best ever? I am so fond of her. You see, she has 
nursed many patients with influenza and knew just 
what to do for me.” 

“We have had a wonderful talk last evening and 
have told each other many of the things which have 
happened to us during that war. Each has lost those 
dearest to them and I feel now as if I had known her 
always.” 

“ She is so strong and sweet,” continued Penny, 
nibbling her toast. “ I hope we may see her very 
often.” 

Louise hoped this, too, but had small expectations, 
for one of the reasons that she wanted a long talk with 
Penny was that the time was nearing when she would 
receive a summons to the city in case it was decided 
that her future home would be there. Neither dwelt 
upon the subject, but it was present in their thoughts 
as they parted that afternoon, and when Mrs. Towers 
came up after having seen Louise on her way she 
found Penny in tears. 


FEIENDS AGAIN 


299 


“ Why, my dear little girl,’' she said, what has 
happened? You cannot have quarrelled with Louise.” 

“ Oh, no, oh, no; it’s just because I am so fond of 
her and can’t bear to think that she may go away off 
where I shall hardly ever see her.” 

“ I wouldn’t trouble myself yet about that,” said 
Mrs. Towers. “ The moment has not arrived and who 
knows what may happen before she leaves Miss 
Varney? ” 

So comforting herself with this thought. Penny 
watched from the window for her parents, who would 
soon be there to see her. 


CHAPTER XX 


LUCKY PENNY COMES BACK 

I T was a great day for Penny when her mother ap- 
peared in Mrs. Mcllvaine’s big car to take her 
home. Superficial in many ways as Mrs. Mcllvaine 
was she had the kindest of hearts, and insisted that her 
car be used for Penny’s home-coming, and that she be 
allowed to go along in order to see that everything 
went properly. So Penny, well wrapped up, was 
tucked in the back seat and bade farewell to the little 
village of Marden. In his regret at seeing her go 
Billy was ready to offer her his precious white mice 
as a parting gift, but Penny told him that between 
Tommy Thistle and Madam Gray she feared the mice 
would fare badly, so Billy, relieved at not being com- 
pelled to give up his pets, yet having the satisfaction of 
having wanted to do the generous thing, saw the mice 
safe in their cage and then came to say good-bye with 
many promises of coming soon to see all the Atwood 
family. 

Mrs. Towers, too, made like promises, but parted 
from her patient with a real heaviness of heart. The 
house would seem very lonely without her, and from 
that moment no doubt could be traced the beginning of 
300 


LUCKY PENNY COMES BACK 


301 


a plan which should develop so happily for more than 
those of that little household. 

The nearer they drew to home the more excited was 
Penny. “ It is well we are both here to hold her 
down/’ remarked Mrs. Mcllvaine, “ or else she would 
jump out the window, I’m afraid.” 

At last the car swung around the corner into Maple 
Avenue, and very soon they could see a little figure 
dancing up and down on the porch of the Atwoods’ 
house. Then a voice shrilled out : “ Here they come, 
Rilly ! Here they come ! ” And there was Davy on 
the watch. Rilly, needing no second summons, was 
close behind him when the car drew up before the 
door. Madam Gray was at her heels and on the fence 
sat Tommy Thistle quite indifferent to all this ex- 
citement. 

Penny giggled hysterically as the big chauffeur car- 
ried her up the steps and into the house where he estab- 
lished her on the couch in the living-room. Rilly came 
after importantly carrying wraps and hand-bags, her 
face on a broad grin, and her comments true to char- 
acter. “ Po’ li’l’ chile, cornin’ back home, bleedged to 
be ca’ed in de house jes lak a baby. She sho’ do look 
pale an’ peaked. Nemmine, we feeds her up. vShe git 
back dem roses fo’ long. Rilly know what she lak, an’ 
she gwine see she has it, too.” Indeed, there was 
danger that in her zeal Rilly would insist upon over- 
feeding the child. 

Davy danced around, now in, now out, a new ques- 


302 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


tion from him every other minute. How was Billy? 
How were the white mice? What about the little 
girl and the turkey, and so on. 

At last Mrs. Mcllvaine drove away, promising that 
Monica should come soon to see her friend, Rilly 
bustled out into the kitchen to begin preparations for a 
feast, much of which Penny would not be able to eat, 
Mrs. Atwood went up-stairs to see that Penny's room 
was ready for her, Davy went out to get Tommy 
Thistle, and Penny was left alone. 

How good it did seem to get home again. Her 
eyes wandered over the room, taking in each familiar 
object, the pictures, the ornaments, the table on which 
stood the lamp, the rack of books, and other things 
well remembered. What happiness to get back to all 
this! She lay there till her father came in to dinner, 
bringing another joyful moment in his warm welcome 
to her. 

“ It's awfully nice to find out how much you all 
think of me," remarked Penny naively. 

Her father laughed. Did you never know it 
before?" 

‘‘ I suppose I did, or rather I took it for granted, but 
you never said so much about it." 

Her father gathered her up in his arms and held 
her close for a moment. I suppose we don't always 
appreciate our blessings as much as we should till we 
come near to losing them," he said as he let her go. 

This speech would have left Penny quite awe- 


LUCKY PENNY COMES BACK 


303 


stricken if dinner had not been announced at that 
moment, and this was an important occasion, since she 
was to be allowed to have the meal with the family, an 
event which would not occur again for several days. 
Once in her room she might not be permitted to come 
down again till she was stronger. 

Before he returned to his office her father carried 
her up-stairs, where she was very content to be. Her 
room was bright with flowers, vases of them every- 
where, on the table, the mantel, the bureau, the win- 
dow sill. Where did they all come from?’’ ques- 
tioned Penny, looking around at roses and daffodils, 
pansies and carnations. 

From various directions,” her mother told her. 
“ The Thistle Troop clubbed together to send the car- 
nations, Monica brought the roses. Miss Varney sent 
the daffodils, and the Boy Scouts the basket of 
pansies.” 

** How good everybody is,” said Penny, lying back 
on her pillows with a sigh of content. “ It’s worth 
while being ill once in a while to find out how much 
everyone thinks of you. I said something like that to 
Father and he said such a serious thing. Were you 
really in danger of losing me. Mother? ” 

“ You were very ill when your temperature ran so 
high and there were symptoms of pneumonia. Both 
doctors were alarmed because of the very high fever, 
and oh, my dear, how I reproached myself for not 
having gone out that first night when Mrs. Towers 


304 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


telephoned, but I was not feeling well and it did not 
seem serious then, so your father urged me to wait till 
morning.” 

‘‘ Fm glad you didn’t come,” said Penny reflectively, 

for if you had we might never have known dear 
Mrs. Towers so well, and perhaps we should not have 
had the promise of a turkey for next Christmas.” 

This quite changed the current of thought, and after 
advising Penny to take a nap her mother left her. 
She lay smiling happily as she looked around the room 
which she was so glad to occupy again. Her beloved 
books close at hand, all her little girlish souvenirs on 
the wall, her favorite photographs, even her best be- 
loved doll which she had outgrown not so very long 
ago, and which stared at her in smiling fixity from the 
corner she still occupied. Presently the doll’s face be- 
came that of little Cleora Boggs, whose small piping 
voice sounded in her ears. Penny was so sound asleep 
that she did not know that Davy had spoken to her and 
did not hear him when he tiptoed out of the room 
with Tommy Thistle whom he had brought up to pay 
his respects. 

It was not many days before Penny was down- 
stairs, then she was able to sit on the porch in the 
spring sunshine, to take a drive with Monica and re- 
ceive her friends whenever they came. She was look- 
ing forward to returning to school, but in the strenu- 
ous exercises of a real rally she could not expect to 
join for some time to come. However, she was to 


LUCKY PENNY COMES BACK 


305 


meet her own patrol at Miss Varney’s house as soon 
as the weather was moderate enough for an outdoor 
supper. 

Meantime it began to dawn upon her that there was 
something afoot which the girls were trying to keep 
from her, some secret she was not to know yet. In 
the middle of a sentence one of her friends would sud- 
denly clap her hand over her mouth, or would be 
glared at by some other, and break off short, looking 
very confused. Even her mother had a mysterious 
way with her at times. 

“ I believe you all are keeping something from me,” 
she complained to her mother one day, ‘‘ and I’d like to 
know what it is.” 

“ Would you rather really know or would you like 
a very pleasant surprise ? ” asked her mother. 

Penny considered this before she said : So there 
is something. You can tell me that much, can’t you ? ” 

** Yes, there is something.” 

“ Shall I have to wait long ? ” 

“ Not more than a week now, I think.” 

“ Well, I reckon I can stand it that long,” rejoined 
Penny, ** but I would like to know what the secret is 
about, whether a person, a place, or whether it simply 
concerns me personally.” 

“ It is about several persons, a place, and I am sure 
will concern you personally,” responded her mother, 
smiling. 

“ Now, Mother, that makes it more mystifying than 


306 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


ever,” Penny complained, half laughing. I believe 
you are trying to mix me up on purpose.” 

Her mother laughed. “ Maybe I am.” 

She would say no more and Penny was obliged to 
bide her time, which she did with, it must be said, a 
good deal of grace. Then came a morning when she 
remarked at the breakfast table, Week’s up. Mother. 
Are you going to tell me the secret ? ” 

Mrs. Atwood exchanged looks with her husband and 
both smiled. “ You are to learn it to-day,” she said. 

“ Right after breakfast? ” 

‘‘ Not immediately, I think. You may have to wait 
till afternoon.” 

“ But why can’t you tell me right away ? ” 

“ I am not at liberty to.” 

“ Then it doesn’t depend upon you.” 

** No, I really have very little to do with it.” 

“ Oh, dear,” sighed Penny, “ the plot thickens, but 
there is one comfort, the agony will soon be over.” 

After all she did have to wait till afternoon, for as 
her mother told her those of her friends who were at 
school wanted to be with her when the surprise came 
off, so she was satisfied. 

About three o’clock her mother said : “ Penny, 
Monica wants to know if you can take a drive with her, 
a short one only ? ” 

“ Why, yes, but I did hope I should know the secret 
right away.” 

“ The drive need not interfere with that ; indeed, I 


LUCKY PENNY COMES BACK 


307 


think it will help to pass away the time, for as I told 
you, Monica will not be going far.” 

“ I believe she is going to take me to Harden to see 
Mrs. Towers, and that is the secret.” She scanned 
her mother’s face but saw no evidence that her guess 
was a right one. 

Monica appeared bubbling over with excitement. 
“ You’re going, too, Mrs. Atwood,” she said. ‘‘ We 
want you there to hold Penny up when she begins to 
faint.” 

‘‘ Now I know we are going to Harden,” declared 
Penny positively. But Monica only laughed, and 
bundled Penny into the automobile, who, contrary to 
her expectations, found that they were going in an 
opposite direction to that which would take them to 
Harden. 

They had not gone many blocks when Monica said : 
“ I hope you don’t mind stopping so soon ; we have a 
call to make.” 

“ Oh, no, of course not,” replied Penny politely. 

But she was not at all prepared to find that they 
had drawn up before the door of Mr. Mason’s house, 
and that it appeared to be occupied. The windows 
were open, and through them came the buzz of voices. 
There were thin white curtains in all these front 
rooms. The house had a spick and span appearance, 
which was quite new to Penny. 

At the door she was met by Mrs. Towers. Penny 
returned her greeting mechanically, for she had caught 


308 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TEOOP 


sight of Mr. Mason himself standing within the hall- 
way. Beyond him was quite a company of people. 
The old man resembled very little the unkempt, wild- 
eyed person of Penny's earlier recollection. He was 
still rather pale, but had a dignified manner, was well 
dressed and smiled happily upon Penny as she shook 
hands with him. Within the big parlor stood the 
members of the Thistle Troop with their captain, those 
of the Boy Scouts who had been interested in the work 
of restoring the house, and a number of older persons. 
Penny looked around in bewilderment. The big room 
was adorned with flowers which stood, some upon 
Mr. Mason’s mahogany table, some upon Mrs. Towers’s 
desk. The pictures on the wall Penny recognized as 
having seen before, some in Mrs. Towers’s house at 
Marden, some in this very room when she had been 
exploring the house. She gazed from one to another. 
Everyone was smiling and regarding her intently. It 
was evident that all knew the secret but herself. 

What does it mean ? ” she asked. 

Then all eyes were turned upon Louise, who stood 
by Mrs. Towers’s side. “ Let Louise tell, let Louise 
tell,” came from first one then another. 

Louise looked inquiringly at Mrs. Towers, who 
nodded an assent. So Louise stepped forward and 
stood before Penny. “ Look at me, look at me,” she 
said. ** Do you know who I am ? lam the daughter 
of Mrs. Towers, her adopted daughter, and this is our 
home.” 


LUCKY PENNY COMES BACK 


309 


‘‘ Louise ! Penny gave one ecstatic cry of delight 
and clasped Louise in her arms. 

Somehow there seemed to be a sudden use for hand- 
kerchiefs to dab the eyes at that moment; even the 
boys tried to look unconcerned but several winked 
very hard and began to whistle softly. 

So this is the wonderful secret/' said Penny, look- 
ing around. ‘‘No wonder you wanted to keep it. 
But so far I only half understand; please somebody 
begin at the beginning and tell me all about it." 

“ Mr. Mason, Mr. Mason," came the cry. But he 
shook his head slowly but positively. 

“ Miss Varney, Miss Varney," came a second sug- 
gestion, and after an approving nod from Mrs. 
Towers, Miss Varney began to explain. 

“ Well, my dear Penny," she said, “ although I do 
not want unduly to give credit to the Girl Scouts I 
must say that it all began that day when we started to 
clean up the town and you discovered this charming 
old house. You know, too, of Mr. Mason’s ill health,_ 
of his improvement and of his desire to find some com- 
fortable home when he should come from the hos- 
pital. Then you have been so deeply interested in our 
dear Louise not to share in our anxiety to see her 
established where she could be happy. That all be- 
longs to the first chapter. The second chapter began 
when you found the white turkey and knocked at Mrs. 
Towers’s door. Since you know Mrs. Towers better 
than any of us do we need not enlarge upon her 


310 LUCKY PENNY OP THISTLE TRPOP 


qualifications for mothering. In the course of con- 
versations with various persons it came about that she 
had felt more than once that she would like to adopt 
a little girl in the place of her own, for, as she said, 
‘ heaven sent her two children, and must have meant 
that she could take care of two,’ so when she saw 
Louise the appeal was very strong, the more so since 
Mrs. Towers has spent two years in France nursing 
in the hospitals during the war and has seen many, 
many war orphans. So it came about that she made 
up her mind to be Louise’s mother, and we are all 
very happy.” 

Penny went up and gave Mrs. Towers a silent em- 
brace. I just love you,” she whispered. Then she 
looked questioningly at Mr. Mason. ‘‘ But what about 
the house ? ” she asked. 

'' That is still another chapter,” Miss Varney went 
on. '‘After she had made up her mind about Louise, 
Mrs. Towers decided that it would not be fair to take 
her away from her school and all the pleasant friends 
she has made, so she looked around for a house in town 
which would be within her means. She happened to 
ask me about this house which you had told her about 
and I proposed that she see Mr. Mason. The result 
was that they have made the happy arrangement that 
he is to board with her in his own home, furnish his 
own room and all that. Now you have the whole 
story.” 

Penny drew a long sigh. “ It is like a fairy tale,” 


LUCKY PENNY COMES BACK 


311 


she said. ** Who could have thought that so many 
lovely things could come from what did appear pretty 
bad beginnings ? 

Many things in this world seem evil when you are 
living close to them,” said Mrs. Towers quietly, ‘‘ but 
they turn out blessed memories when you get them in 
proper perspective.” 

'' Oh, Miss Varney,” spoke up Brownie from a far 
corner, “ you haven't told Penny that this is the house 
warming.” 

“ To be sure I didn’t. Well, Penny, that is what it 
is, and I hope you appreciate the fact that you are the 
only guest who didn’t know where she was coming.” 

Then they all trooped to the dining-room to feast 
on strawberries and ice-cream, the former an early 
luxury sent by Mrs. Mcllvaine from her hothouse. 
Rilly, who had been borrowed for the occasion, was in 
great form, and kept them all laughing by her running 
comments. 

Thistle Troop went off in a body singing: 

** Thistle Troop, Thistle Troop, 

Mind your p’s and q’s.” 

The Boy Scouts followed, and soon the old house was 
left to its regular inmates. 

Penny and her mother were the last to go. They 
had gone over the house from top to bottom, had seen 
Louise’s room, with its furnishings, so familiar to 
Penny during those days when she looked upon the 


312 LUCKY PENNY OF THISTLE TEOOP 


same in her sick chamber, had seen where Mr. Mason 
had set up the furniture he had reserved for himself, 
had looked into the now exquisitely tidy kitchen, had 
peeped into the yard where one solitary cat reigned 
supreme, and had come away with a fuller belief in the 
hand of Providence. 

Penny was so full of exalted emotions that she 
scarcely spoke all the way home. She and her mother 
stood together upon an upper porch to watch the sun- 
set, rose and gold and faintest turquoise green. Penny 
was the first to break the silence. ‘‘Just suppose I 
had never joined the Girl Scouts,” she said, “ I might 
never have known Mr. Mason, nor Mrs. Towers. 
Isn’t she splendid. Mother ? If I had hunted the world 
over I couldn’t have chosen anyone I liked half so 
well to be Louise’s mother. It has been such a won- 
derful time, I shall never forget it. That old, old 
house, that seemed so forlorn and hopeless when we 
first saw it and now think how many happy people are 
in it. What a lot there is to do in the world when you 
take the trouble to look for it.” 

“ So it has been a glad secret, hasn’t it ? ” said her 
mother, drawing her close to her side. 

“ Oh, the very gladdest sort of secret, and the heart 
of it is that I have learned what a wonderful thing it 
is when you find out that you cannot be really happy 
unless you. are doing something for others.” 



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Camp Fire and Qlrl Scout Stories 


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nounce a capital good one. The heroine’s desire to look 
beyond the horizon of her little village when opportunity 
presents itself takes her to New York, where she finds new 
pleasures and experiences. The book is certainly a most 
wholesome one. — The Bookseller, New York. 

Three OirJs of Haze/mere. A Story 

360 pp. i2mo. Cloth. 

To take a trip abroad with Miss Deland’s “Three Girls 
of Hazelmere ” is a treat for any reader, for the author’s 
style is natural, yet remarkably effective, and the interest 
follows closely to the end of the book. — Bookseller. 

The Friendship of Anne 

342 pp. i2mo. Cloth. 

This is a book which will appeal to girls and interest 
them throughout. It is founded on boarding-school life 
and is full of activity and enthusiasm. — Herald and Pres- 
byter. 

Each Volume Fully Illustrated. Price, $1.75 Net Each 





FAMOUS STORIES FOR GIRLS 

By Charlotte M. Vaile 


The Orcutt Qirls 

OR, ONE TERM AT THE ACADEMY. 316 pp. 

Sue Orcutt 

A SEQUEL TO “ THE ORCUTT GIRLS.” 335 pp. 

These companion volumes are among the most 
popular^ books for girls which have ever been written 
concerning school life. In these books Mrs. Vaile 
depicts that old academic life which used to be so 
great a feature in the life of New England. Mrs 
Vaile shows her intimate knowledge of the subject 
and both books are full of incentive and inspiration. 

Wheat and Huckleberries 

OR, DR. NORTHMORE’S DAUGHTERS. 336 pp. 

Another story for girls with the true ring of genuine- 
ness, and as the two girls around whom the story cen- 
ters were born and brought up in the rich farm regions 
of the Middle West, and then spent their summers in 
the New England home of their grandfather, the author 
has been able to weave into her narrative the various 
peculiarities of both sections. 

Each volume is fully illustrated. Price $1.75 net 


The M. M. a 

A STORY OF THE GREAT ROCKIES. 232 pp. 

The experience of a New England girl in the Colorado 
mining camp. It shows the pluck of the little school 
teacher in holding for her friend a promising mining 
claim which he had secured after years of misfortune 
in other ventures. 

Fully illustrated. Price, $1.35 


By Marion Ames Taggart 


‘‘SIX GIRLS’' SERIES 
Six Qirls and Bob 

A STORY OF PATTY-PANS AND GREEN FIELDS 

830 pages 


Six Oiris and the Tea Room 

A STORY 

Six Oiris Orowing Oider 

31C pages 


A STORY S31 pages 

Six Oiris and the Seventh One 

A STORY 358 pages 

Betty Qaston — the Seventh Qiri 


A STORY 

352 pages 

Six Oiris and Betty 

A STORY 

320 pages 

Six Oiris Orown Up 

A STORY 

These Volumes are Fully Illustrated 

Price, Cloth, $1,75 each net 

348 pages 

Her Daughter Jean 

A STORY 

840 pages 

Beth*s Wonder^Winter 

A STORY 

836 pages 

Beth’s Old Home 

A STORY 

850 pages 

Beth of Oid Chilton 

A STORY 

848 pages 


Miss Taggart is a welcome addition to the coterie of writers for 
young people, as she possesses a strong individuality, and her 
characters are full of life and best of all, she paints them naturally. 

Price, Each Volume, Cloth, $1,75 net 


BOOKS BY 

Walter P. Eaton 


The Boy Scouts of Berkshire 

A story of how the Chipmunk Patrol was started, what they did 
and how they did it. 313 pages 

The Boy Scouts of the Dismal Swamp 

This story is a continuation of THE BOY SCOUTS OF BERKSHIRE 
and is an unusually interesting book on Boy Scouting. 310 pages 

Boy Scouts in the White Mountains 

Intimate knowledge of the country as well as of the basic princi- 
ples of Boy Scouting characterizes this new volume by Mr. Eaton. 

8S0 pages 

Boy Scouts of the Wildcat Patrol 

A Story of Boy Scouting 

This story is a continuation of the history of Peanut and the other 
characters which appeared in previous volumes by this author. 

’ 315 pages 

Peanut — Cub Reporter 

A Boy Scout's life and adventures on a newspaper 

A rattling newspaper story with Peanut as the central character 
— he who has figured so prominently in the author’s four Boy Scout 
books. 320 pages 

Boy Scouts in Olacier Park 

The adventures of two young Easterners in the heart of the high 
Rockies. The volume gives an accurate and descriptive picture of 
this Park, and might well be used as a guide book. This book is 
illustrated by wonderful photographs. 386 pages 

On the Edge of the Wilderness 

Tales of Our Wild Animal Neighbors 

Interesting and intimate stories of neighborly wiW animals who 
through stress or mistake have wandered close to civilization, and 
of whom glimpses have been obtained. Beautifully illustrated by 
Bull, the great animal illustrator. 386 pages 


**EVerp storp written bp Walter P. Eaton runs true in its de- 
scription of nature. He is a loVer of the out-of-doors, a 
"Keen observer of animals and a remarkable leader of bops. 
His pictures are real and the spirit behind them betokens 
the loVer of Nature that he is, and best of all, pou can de- 
pend upon the truth of what he Writes .” — Bhe Herald 

$1.75 each 
All prices are NET 


BOOKS BY 

Com. Thos. D. Parker, U. S. N. 


Young Heroes of the American Navy 

Being stories and adventures of the most noted young heroes 

of our Navy 

The naval history of our country has developed many young men 
vYho through patriotism have performed many acts of daring tiero- 
ism and whose names are in the hall of naval fame. The book is 
fully illustrated with reproductions of the events which the various 
characters made memorable. 

820 pages 

The Cruise of the Deep Sea Scouts 

Or, Boy Scouts Afloat. Illustrated with colored frontispiece 

The activities of the Boy Scouts Afloat are today more interesting 
than ever before. Deep sea scouting is one of the most important 
activities of the Boy Scout Organization and the call of the sea is 
as strong as the call of the woods or the mountains, while the life 
of the sailor promotes the same discipline and training as does the 
life of the soldier. 

820 pages 

The Spy on the Submarine 

A thrilling story of adventure on board a submarine destroyer 
and upon a submarine itself. This is an up-to -date story, full of 
the experiences which are daily happening and serving to make a 
large part of the history of this great war. 

820 pages 

The Air Raider 

Winning the Gold and Silver Chevron 

Our navy and shipbuilding yards were exposed to many dangers 
from enemies both within and without during the war. Few real- 
ized it, but Commander Parker did. THE AIR RAIDER gives a 
thrilling picture of what might have occurred in one yard, if cer- 
tain loyal young men had not kept an ever watchful eye open for 
every emergency. 


Mr. Parker's stories are based on bis intimate knowledge of 
naVal affairs. The experiences which his characters go 
through Will show to eVery reader of his books just What is 
happening or may happen Within the gates of any of our 
NaVy Yards, or on the high seas on board one of our great 
battleships. They are true pictures of naVal life afloat and 
ashore. 


Price, Cloth, $1,75 each 

All Prices NET 



BOOKS BY 

Lewis E. Theiss 


In Camp at Port Brady — A Camping 

Story Colored Illustrations 

This story will be found helpful to all boys, especially those be- 
longingr to the Boy Scouts movement. 

8^0 pages 

Lumberjack Bob 

A tale of the Alleghanies, with colored frontispiece 

318 pages 

His Big Brother 

A story of the struggles and triumphs of a little Son of Liberty 
Illustrated* $20 pages 

The Wireless Patrol at Camp Brady 

A story of how the boy campers, through their knowledge of 
wireless, “did their bit.'* Illustrated with colored frontispiece 

320 pages 

The Secret Wireless 

A story of the Camp Brady Patrol. Colored Illustration 

320 pages 

The Hidden Aerial 

The Spy Line on the Mountain. Colored Illustration 

380 pages 

The Young Wireless Operator— Afioat 

Or, How Roy Mercer Won His Spurs in the Merchant Marine 

Storms, fog and accidents at sea all lose much of their dangers 
when aboard each vessel is an up-to-date wireless outfit and a 
staunch, reliable boy like Roy Mercer to operate it. 

Price, Cloth, $L75 each 

All Prices are NET 




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